Dagestan is about to add another champion to its ranks.
The Russian republic has produced a number of the top fighters in the world, most notably Khabib Nurmagomedov. The list of championship mixed martial artists from Dagestan continues to expand, with Islam Makhachev and Usman Nurmagomedov both recently attaining gold. Makhachev is the reigning UFC lightweight champ, and Nurmagomedov just won that same title in Bellator.
“Dagestan is a small republic, but we have many, many Olympic champions and many very good professional athletes,” says Makhachev. “In the UFC, we have a lot of tough guys from Dagestan. Many, many high-level fighters, like Magomed Ankalaev. Top guys in Bellator and ONE Championship. All MMA high-level organizations have fighters from Dagestan.”
