Makhachev's ringside shoulder fix draws medical criticism after teammate's PFL stoppage

Islam Makhachev’s corner work at PFL Tampa on August 23 drew sharp criticism from a sports medicine doctor after the UFC welterweight champion tried — and failed — to manually relocate teammate Magomed “Tiger” Magomedov’s dislocated shoulder mid-fight, eventually stopping the bout himself by throwing in the towel.

Magomedov was competing against former UFC bantamweight Daniel Marcos in Marcos’s PFL promotional debut when he appeared to suffer a shoulder dislocation during the contest. Between rounds, Makhachev — just one week removed from defending his UFC welterweight title against Ian Garry at UFC 330 — stepped in and attempted to pop the joint back into place at ringside.

The intervention did not work. Magomedov returned for the third round but the shoulder continued to cause problems, and Makhachev ultimately ended the fight by throwing in the towel on his teammate’s behalf.

The footage quickly circulated online and caught the eye of sports physician Dr. Brian Sutterer, who was unsparing in his assessment. “This should be the go to reference for everything you do to NOT be successful in putting a shoulder back,” Sutterer wrote on X, reposting the clip.

Sutterer’s critique underscores a broader point about the limits of even elite athletic instinct when it comes to acute joint injuries. Shoulder dislocations typically require controlled traction and specific positioning to reduce safely, and improper attempts can aggravate surrounding tissue, nerves, or blood vessels.

For Makhachev, the episode illustrates the difficult reality of cornering a teammate through a serious in-fight injury. His decision to stop the fight, whatever the shortcomings of the attempted reduction, likely prevented Magomedov from sustaining further damage in the championship rounds. The outcome for Magomedov’s shoulder beyond the night of the fight was not immediately confirmed.