Makhachev trolls Cormier after PSG beat Arsenal on penalties in Budapest

Islam Makhachev wasted no time rubbing it in after Paris Saint-Germain defeated Arsenal on penalties in the UEFA Champions League final at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, Hungary on 30 May. The UFC lightweight champion posted a video to his Instagram Stories teasing a visibly cheerful Daniel Cormier, whose Arsenal side had just been beaten in the shootout.

Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov, both well-known PSG supporters, attended the final alongside Cormier, who is a long-standing Arsenal fan. The match itself was tightly contested: Kai Havertz put Arsenal ahead just five minutes in, before Ousmane Dembele equalised for PSG in the 64th minute. Neither side could be separated in normal time, and PSG ultimately prevailed from the penalty spot.

In the video, Makhachev turned to a smiling Cormier and pressed him on his mood. “Hey DC, why you’re so happy, bro? You support Arsenal. Why are you still happy bro?” Cormier, never short of an answer, deflected with characteristic warmth.

“Because I see my brothers,” Cormier replied. “The only thing that makes me happy now is because I see you. I was very sad. Thank you for making me feel better.”

The exchange offered a rare glimpse of the MMA world colliding with European club football at one of the sport’s biggest occasions. Makhachev and Nurmagomedov’s ties to PSG are well documented, and the trio’s presence at the Puskas Arena underlined the growing crossover between combat sports figures and football’s elite events.

For Cormier, the defeat will sting — Arsenal were minutes away from a famous victory before Dembele’s equaliser changed the complexion of the game entirely. His teammates in Budapest, at least, made the evening a little more bearable.