Islam Makhachev Took Seven Laxative Pills After Tsarukyan Fight
Islam Makhachev said he ended his 2019 UFC debut against Arman Tsarukyan by swallowing seven laxative pills by mistake, then needed emergency care after the fight. He later spent about a month and a half on a milk-and-rice diet while recovering from the ordeal.
Makhachev’s Hotel Mix-Up
Makhachev said the problem started while he was vomiting at his hotel after the unanimous decision win. A teammate thought he was handing over activated charcoal to settle his stomach, but the pills were laxatives instead.
He described the moment on Red Corner MMA's podcast, saying a friend kept pushing him to take the pills and that he swallowed them on an empty stomach. In his account, the mistake became obvious only after the tablets were already down and his stomach was empty.
“Muslim says, 'Take some activated charcoal, it's going to help you.' I said no,” Makhachev said. He added: “And I still remember him saying, 'Hey, just one time listen to me and take activated charcoal.' So he gives me the pills. I'm taking them all, and it's like it came down from a waterfall as my stomach is empty. And he suddenly goes, 'Stop. I gave you the wrong pills, throw up!' And I say, 'How can I throw up? My stomach is empty.'”
Emergency Services After UFC Debut
His team first tried to find a manganese solution to counteract the pills, but could not get it without a prescription. They then called emergency services, and paramedics confirmed that he had swallowed seven laxatives on an empty stomach.
The episode turned a postfight recovery into a medical problem that required outside help. Makhachev said he spent the next month and a half recovering on a diet of milk and rice, a restricted routine that followed the ambulance call after the bout.
Tsarukyan Fight Context
The fight itself came in 2019 and ended with Makhachev beating Tsarukyan by unanimous decision in his UFC debut. That result later sat behind a rise that carried him to the UFC lightweight title, which he has defended multiple times, including a recent rematch win over Tsarukyan at UFC 327.
For Makhachev, the strange part of the story is not the win over Tsarukyan but what happened after he left the cage. The mistake with the pills turned a routine recovery into a month and a half of careful eating, and it still stands out as one of the oddest details from the fight that launched his UFC run.
