Islam Makhachev recalls taking 'wrong pills' after Arman Tsarukyan fight

Islam Makhachev recently recalled a misadventure from 2019 that turned a post-fight recovery into an unexpected medical emergency. After his unanimous decision victory over Arman Tsarukyan in his opponent's UFC debut, Makhachev felt ill and vomited. While attempting to recover at his hotel, one of his teammates convinced him to take activated charcoal pills to aid his stomach.

However, the teammate had grabbed the wrong medication—laxative pills instead. Makhachev took seven of them before the mistake was discovered. Unable to vomit due to an empty stomach, Makhachev and his team attempted to find a manganese solution to counteract the laxatives, but it required a prescription they couldn't obtain. The situation escalated enough that they called an ambulance, confirming Makhachev had indeed ingested seven laxative pills.

The Dagestani lightweight spent roughly a month and a half recovering from the incident, adhering to a strict diet of milk and rice. Looking back on the ordeal years later, Makhachev reflected on how his teammate's insistence overcame his initial reluctance to take any pills at all—a moment he now finds almost humorous despite the serious complications that followed.