When Islam Makhachev squares off with Australia’s Jack Della Maddalena next weekend, he won’t just be fighting for another UFC belt – he’ll be carrying the weight of an entire region that’s reshaped MMA.
Over the last decade, the tiny mountainous republic of Dagestan has churned out some of the most dominant athletes in the UFC.
UFC 322: Della Maddalena vs Makhachev | SUN 16 NOV 2PM AEDT | Australia’s own Jack Della Maddalena puts his welterweight title on the line against Pound for Pound great and former lightweight champ Islam Makhachev in a blockbuster night of fights, live from New York City. | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports.
Grapplers and sambo specialists from the region – including Khabib Nurmagomedov, Magomed Ankalaev, and Makhachev – have perfected a suffocating style defined by chain wrestling, dominant positional control, and unyielding pressure.
“The style is about getting on top, staying on top and finishing on top,” says former UFC star, and 5th degree Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt, Anthony Perosh.
“That’s the goal. Relentless pressure.
“And these guys are currently doing it better than anyone.”
When Khabib retired undefeated at 29-0 in 2020, he didn’t just leave behind an unblemished record – he left a whole system.
His protégé, Makhachev, has followed the path, capturing the lightweight title and successfully defending it four times against some of the best fighters walking the planet.
Now, in moving up to welterweight to challenge ‘Della’, the Dagestani destroyer is chasing legacy.
A win this weekend in New York would make him one of the rare fighters in the promotion to win UFC straps in multiple divisions – and further cement Dagestan’s reputation in the MMA world.
Makhachev famously once told former UFC champ Daniel Cormier: “If you want your son [to have] high‑level wrestling, send him two‑three years in Dagestan and forget.”
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Russia’s Islam Makhachev reacts after his Lightweight bout against Australia’s Alexander Volkanovski during the Ultimate Fighting Championship 294 (UFC)Source: AFP
Cormier wasn’t surprised by the remark. He’s seen just how good these guys are first-hand.
“It’s new to the world, but it’s not new to us, the guys that have done international wrestling, guys that have been around the world championships,” Cormier told MMA Fighting regarding athletes from the region.
“When I got my third place medal at the worlds, Russia had maybe five world champs or six, and they had a third [place]. Most of those guys were from Dagestan.
“They just know how to wrestle. I knew the moment I saw Khabib and then I saw Islam, I was like uh-oh, the Dagestanis are starting to do mixed martial arts, it’s a problem for the world. That’s absolutely what has happened.”
So, what is it about Dagestan that makes it a fighting superpower?
The answer is complex, but it’s got a lot to do with the rugged geography of the area and the culture and history of those who live there.
Dagestan has a particularly violent past, with empires like the Mongols, Persians and Ottomans all attempting to conquer the high-altitude region – so all men are expected to fight.
Wrestling, which needs very little equipment, became an important way to produce warriors, and a point of community pride in the isolated mountain villages.
UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov of Russia carries his champions belt as he is escorted by fans upon the arrival in Makhachkala on October 8, 2018.Source: AFP
Fighters will often train three times a day, with a heavy emphasis on sparring and grappling drills.
Morning runs through the mountains are routine, with Khabib once revealing that most of his training was done outdoors while he was a teenager.
“Running, lifting stones and fighting on the grass. Only once a week we had training on carpet,” he said in a 2021 interview.
“Everyone needs to stay hungry. Your hunger is your most powerful internal engine. If you have everything now, what else do you need? You won’t work hard.”
Training isn’t just a nine-to-five affair, either – it often runs deep into the evening.
“Sometimes until 12, 11PM… I was going to training,” Khabib said.
“I train three times a day, come home, I have five or six hours to rest because seven in the morning is going to come new training.”
Vision showing UFC fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov fighting a bear as a boy.Source: YouTube
Faith is another reason Dagestani fighters stay locked in.
In a region where Islam guides daily life, there is little room for partying or noise to make fighters lose focus.
Khabib has become a national hero to the people – and some experts believe that Makhachev is even better than his legendary mentor.
“Dana [White] came out a couple weeks ago and said that when he talked to Dustin [Poirier] after the fight (against Nurmagomedov), he said he was freaking out or it was Dustin or Conor [McGregor], one of them was freaking out because they said they never thought another man that can do that to them under Khabib,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel.
“Because of his strength and his control and the way that he manipulated you on the ground.
“I think Makhachev possesses a lot of those same types of qualities. Very similar when he gets you on the ground but because he’s a better striker, I feel he is even more dangerous than Khabib was during his prime.”
Jack Della Maddalena is readying himself for the toughest test of his MMA careerSource: AP
Perosh said he doesn’t like to compare the two fighters, because “without Khabib, we wouldn’t have Islam”.
“Just the name ‘Dagestani wrestling’ will put fear into people,” says Perosh.
“But you’ve gotta get past the name and not put anyone on a pedestal. Just deal with their technique.
“The reason it’s so popular is that it works. The style of getting on top, staying on top and finishing is working. It’s what I wish all BJJ blackbelts would do.
“It’s hard to take somebody down, but harder to keep somebody down. That’s why they [Dagestanis] are so good. Relentless pressure. It’s nothing new – they are just doing it really well. It’s what BJJ guys used to do.”
Khabib’s back in Makhachev’s corner for the New York showdown this weekend, preaching the same gospel that’s defined Dagestan’s dominance – take him to the canvas and drown him.
“It’s not a secret,” Makhachev told ESPN.
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“[Nurmagomedov] told me take him down, try to take him down and make him tired. I think I can finish him on the ground. I can choke him, do an armbar, something.
“I saw his skills on the ground. He’s good, but I have something more.”
Della Maddalena, who has Australian BJJ legend Craig Jones in his corner helping fine-tune his grappling ahead of the title defense, says Makhachev is in for a shock.
“He probably thinks he will take me down, hold me down and submit me,” says JDM.
“I think with the grappling I’ll be able to surprise him.”
And the same goes for when the pair are standing up.
“I think we will spend a lot of this fight on our feet and I think I’ll be able to surprise him.”
