It’s been only a week since Islam Makhachev defended his UFC welterweight title from Ian Machado Garry in Philadelphia, and yet he’s back in the cage. Only the place, the promotion, and, most importantly, his role are different. Instead of competing as a fighter, Makhachev served as a cornerman for Magomed Magomedov at PFL Tampa.

But it appears that the switch in roles has backfired. His attempt to put the shoulder of his fighter, who had dislocated it during the main card bout against former UFC fighter Daniel Marcos, back into place has put Makhachev’s cornering skills under scrutiny. Some felt that the attempt to put his fighter back into the bout at all costs had put his safety at considerable risk.

“Islam Makhachev tried to pop teammate Magomed Magomedov’s dislocated shoulder back into place in the corner. The fight continued, and Islam ended up throwing in the towel, ” the Championship Rounds’ X post read.

The footage from the round break featured Magomedov, a former Bellator challenger, sitting on the stool. Makhachev, in the meantime, was tending to his shoulders. Joined by another team member, they appeared to be pulling Magomedov’s left hand down in an attempt to put his shoulder back into its place.

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The dislocation took place during the second round of the fight. Using his wrestling skills, the Russian had initially put his opponent on the back foot. In the second round, the former UFC bantamweight fighter landed a knee that apparently dislocated Magomedov’s left shoulder.

The next minutes featured a frantic attempt from Makhachev and his team to put his shoulder back and get him to continue the fight.

But to no avail. After a quick checkup with the cageside physician, the fight was allowed to continue despite Magomedov nursing an injury.

As could be expected, Marcos targeted Magomedov’s injured shoulder and pressed on the Russian’s left hand during a clinch against the fence. Seeing his fighter in a vulnerable situation, Makhachev immediately threw in the towel to stop the fight.

What the two-division UFC champion did was the right decision to prevent his fighter from taking more punishment. Fans weren’t satisfied, however.

While some questioned Makhachev’s skills in putting a shoulder back into place, others felt the fight should not have been allowed to continue.

Fans turn their attention to Islam Makhachev and officials after controversial injury sequence

“Magomedov’s corner should have never been put in that position. The referee shouldn’t be calling a timeout in the event of an injury. Once the fight is stopped for an injury, it should be waved off,” Aaron Bronsteter wrote in a tweet.

The MMA reporter and broadcaster’s comments seem to center more on the match officials’ role than on Makhachev and his team. To put it plainly, if a fighter dislocates their shoulder during a fight, the referee can stop the bout if the injury prevents them from intelligently defending themselves.

A cageside physician may also examine the fighter and determine whether they are fit to continue, which can result in a medical stoppage. In this case, it appears the procedure was followed after the doctor assessed Magomedov’s condition and allowed him to continue.

But the question remains: why was he allowed to continue while still dealing with an injured shoulder?

But the next fan was more direct. “As someone who has dislocated their sh-t twice within a year span u call the f**king fight off if u don’t know how to relocate it back. Islam Makhachev is a f**king idiot who probably just ended his teammate’s career,” they wrote.

Sharing similar sentiments, another user added, “That’s not how you put it back in; you gotta slowly lift up the arm and rotate it.”

Putting aside those criticisms, it should be noted that Makhachev was trying his best to deal with a situation that emerged abruptly. Clearly, as a fighter, he does not have any medical expertise to properly handle a shoulder dislocation.

In those circumstances, he did what he felt was the right course of action.

“As a doc, I must say that’s a wrong technique and can cause associated fractures of the glenoid labrum of the humeral head. Should consult a doc instead,” one user wrote.

“He was about to make it worse. Damn, why is he pulling it down?” another fan stated.

One question remains from the entire episode: could Makhachev have called for the fight to be stopped much earlier instead of allowing his fighter to continue? In his defense, it is likely he and the team relied on the doctor’s assessment and felt Magomedov could still continue.

Even so, the PFL bout is another example of how things could go wrong in combat sports. Beyond the risks inside the ring or the cage, decisions made in the heat of the action can also put a fighter at tremendous risk.