We Will Get to See UFC-Bound Bilyal Makhov Compete at the Olympics After All

Hulking Russian wrestler Bilyal Makhov will compete on his sport's biggest stage after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) refused to heed the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) advice on banning all Russian athletes from competing at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Considered one of the world's best wrestlers at present, Makhov's Olympic dream of bettering his 2012 bronze medal at the Games in London appeared to be in tatters.

Russian sport has endured a torrid time in 2016, amid accusations of state-sponsored doping dating back to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. Over 20 top Russian athletes have tested positive from historic samples from the Olympics held in Beijing and London, while more have been caught at the Sochi Winter Olympics held in their homeland back in 2014—and that's not mentioning the string of top Russian athletes testing positive for newly-banned substance meldonium, though there have been some issues in implementing suspensions stemming from the drug.

Doctor Grigory Rodchenkov was once the head of the now-discredited Moscow sports laboratory in question. The doctor-turned whistleblower, who once was awarded the prestigious Order of Friendship by President Vladimir Putin, made a swift retreat to the USA for his safety following his revelations. Rodchenkov's allegations have, in part, led to a ban of all Russian track and field athletes for the 2016 Olympic Games.

WADA and numerous other national committees voiced their desire for a blanket ban on all Russian athletes ahead of this summer's Games. But, the IOC refused this motion—much to the chagrin of the majority of sport's leading bodies.

Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko, who is best known for celebrating with Russian fans as their hooligans beat up innocent English fans in the Stade Veledrome at Euro 2016, initially refused to acknowledge WADA's findings. Ever paranoid, the report was seen as another attempt to undermine Russia. Now, Mutko is breathing a big sigh of relief.

Talking to state broadcaster Tass, Mutko said: "We are very grateful to the International Olympic Committee for the fact that in choosing between collective responsibility and the rights of individual athletes, it took the decision that every athlete whose reputation today is untarnished, who is clean, without doping, has the right to compete in the Olympics."

Meanwhile, British IOC member Adam Pengilly summed up the feelings of the rest of the IOC membership: "I believe the Russian federation has mocked the Olympic movement and I worry about the future of clean sport, I worry about the future for clean athletes, the Olympic movement and the Olympic Games. Some have suggested the IOC has passed the buck and I'd have to agree. There's been an abdication of responsibility here."

One of Russia's most prized sporting figures, greco-roman wrestler Alexander Karelin, is now a member of Vladimir Putin's newly-created anti-doping taskforce. He too announced his jubilation at the IOC's decision: "[they made the] most elegant decision amid the clamour, tendentiousness, unprecedented pressure, desire of some national Olympic committees to remove an obvious contender for Olympic medals from the race by any means". Karelin has a vested interest in this announcement made: Makhov.

April 25th, 2015, saw the UFC announce Makhov as the latest Olympian to be signed to the promotion and eventually grace the vaunted Octagon once his wrestling career is over. The Olympic wrestlers to have made the jump to mixed martial arts have enjoyed their time in the confines of a cage or a ring. Daniel Cormier, Henry Cejudo and Ben Askren are modern MMA names which instantly spring to mind. But, the aforementioned three have little on Makhov's wrestling CV despite their own esteemed wrestling careers.

Standing at an impressive six-foot-five and boasting a walking weight of 295lbs, the behemoth of dual Circassian and Kabardian descent has taken the wrestling world by storm. Alongside his 2012 Olympic bronze and his multitude of world championship wins, Makhov became the first wrestler in 43 years to win medals in both freestyle and greco-roman disciplines—despite little training in the latter style—at the 2015 iteration of the world championships. Makhov will be competing in freestyle wrestling at the Olympics, but he qualified for both disciplines through these exploits.

The talented wrestler himself had a few words to say about Russia's prospective ban from the Olympics. Toeing the same line as Putin and Mutko, Makhov told Tass: "These events have to be apolitical and should unite all countries in a common cause—the sport.

"If it turns out that some countries have levered pressure on the International Olympic Committee, the fate of all our athletes will be determined by these means and not by who is stronger. If our country were to be excluded from participation in the Olympics, not only will Russian athletes suffer, but also the entire international sports community. What would the interest be in winning the Olympic Games without all of the best athletes in the world?"

The point made by Makhov does hold some weight for those innocent parties involved in Russian athletics to have not tested positive for any banned performance enhancers. It would be unfair for them to get caught in the crossfire. But, with the allegations made against Russia at a state level, the ensuing outrage cased by the IOC's decision is somewhat understandable.

Makhov's demonstrable ability to adapt to multiple wrestling disciplines makes the prospect of his MMA career a whole load more exciting. It's been widely rumoured the UFC will be his next proving ground once this summer's Games are all said and done as he chases that elusive Olympic gold medal. Whether said rumours are true or not, Rio de Janeiro will undoubtedly provide a nice glimpse of what the heavyweights of MMA will have to face in the near future.