At the 2018 Asian Championships, Makhmudov competed in the 72 kg category, and won Ahmad Mahmoud Dashan (12–2), then Kuldeep Malik (8–0) and Tomohiro Inoue (7–0).

He won 8–6, becoming the youngest ever wrestler from Kyrgyzstan to earn a gold medal at senior level at the Asian Championships.

[13][14] At the 2018 Asian Games, Makhmudov moved back to the 77 kg division and reached the final, where he lost to Mohammadali Geraei.

To start his first Olympic journey, Makhmudov defeated Tunisia's Lamjed Maafi by 11-0 technical superiority, a winner from the Africa and Oceania Wrestling Qualification tournament,[16] he then defeated former two-time European Champion, Rafig Huseynov of Azerbaijan which won him a place in the semi-finals.

[22] He is said to originally be from the Nookat Region, Osh Oblast (Ноокатский район, Ошская область) in southern Kyrgyzstan.

He moved to Bishkek in 6th grade and began training under Merited Master of Sport, Zhenish Satybaldiev.