Islam Makhachev is just days away from his showdown against Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 322, set to take place this Saturday night at MSG in New York. And to add more hype to the upcoming event, the Dagestani decided to test his grip strength—something that many UFC stars have done before. However, no one thought his timepiece would grab all the attention instead.

When manager Ali Abdelaziz shared an image of Makhachev’s grip strength on X, fans couldn’t help but wonder how much his stunning watch cost. “Islam Makachev just casually rocking a $500,000 Audemars Piguet watch,” Super Fan wrote on X, putting speculations to rest.

With that revelation, fans even forgot about Abdelaziz’s wrong claim. Initially, he claimed that his fighter “just broke Khalil Rountree’s ESPN Grip Strength record; the previous record was 157, the new record is now 161.”

However, that was not true, and so, in a follow-up tweet, he corrected himself. “My bad Khalil’s record was 166.2, my bad. But this is [still] impressive for a lightweight.”

So, he may not have surpassed Khalil Rountree Jr., but he surely left behind Alex Pereira‘s 159.2 lbs grip strength with his 161 lbs.

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ESPN has often highlighted UFC fighters testing their grip strength, which includes Pereira and Rountree Jr. However, fans cared about none of it. After all, Makhachev’s watch received way more attention.

The Royal Oak Concept line, launched in 2002 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Gérald Genta’s original 1972 design, is known as a laboratory for Audemars Piguet’s cutting-edge R&D innovations. And Makhachev, who remains widely respected for his humility and grounded personality, surprised his fans with his expensive taste.

And though many may have forgotten, the fighter is known to have a collection of some expensive watches.

Fans refuse to believe Islam Makhachev would spend that money!

Since the post, several fans came forward to share their thoughts. One user speculated that a friend may have gifted the watch to Makhachev. “He doesn’t seem like the guy who would spend such money on a watch, I think maybe his friends from Dubai gifted him,” the user commented. A good guess, considering how revered the Khabib camp is in the Middle East. Makhachev’s mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, recently signed a deal with a Dubai-based company.

Another fan had the same idea. “Gotta be a gift. He’s not that flashy,” they wrote. However, Makhachev could have splashed a little, especially after the success he found in UFC. The former lightweight champion has been spotted wearing luxury timepieces many times.

Watch enthusiasts have identified models like the Richard Mille RM 11-03 “McLaren Automatic” and Richard Mille RM 67-02 “Sebastian Ogier” with a combined value of nearly a million dollars. He has also sported Rolex models like the Submariner Date “126610LN” and the Rolex GMT-Master II “Batgirl”, and on one occasion, an $85K worth Patek Philippe Aquanaut.

The consensus, however, remains that these are all likely to be gifts from rich fans. “I believe it was a gift from his rich fans,” one user commented. If that’s the case, Makhachev would be one of the luckier UFC fighters to have received such gifts. Most recently, Brendan Allen received a $130K worth Rolex Daytona from his brother after beating Reinier De Ridder at UFC Vancouver. Other big names like Conor McGregor and Alex Pereira have also received expensive timepieces as gifts.

This next fan thought someone may have lent it to Makhachev. “Someone probably lent it or gave it to him. No way he paid for that.” And while everyone else was in disbelief, this user decided to throw an insult. “I know 100$ watches that look better than this,” their comment read.

Well, while Makhachev’s personality makes it difficult to believe he would spend on luxury, he certainly has the money to do so.