Dagestan’s rugged, mountainous region has become an extraordinary breeding ground for mixed martial arts talent. Despite its modest population of just three million, it has consistently produced world-class fighters who have dominated the UFC and global MMA circuits. 155lbs juggernaut Islam Makhachev exemplifies this phenomenon and plans to rub this excellence in the face of the world.

“Usman [Nurmagomedov], Gadzhi [Gadzhiev], and myself – when we go to Dagestan, we have to make some good pictures [with] 3 belts, and [in the captions], I’ll put, ‘Lightweight, where are you?'” the UFC kingpin could be heard saying in a recent clip.

Makhachev, of course, was talking about his Dagestani teammates, Usman Nurmagomedov, who is the reigning Bellator lightweight champion, and Gadzhi Gadzhiev, who has been dominating the lightweight bracket of the IMMAF’s amateur tournament over the past few years. This is a perfect example of how Dagestanis are virtually taking over the sport.

After all, PFL-Bellator is the second biggest promotion in the entire sport. On the other hand, the IMMAF tournament is the most prestigious amateur MMA tournament in the world. And Makhachev cannot be faulted for being proud of how good the MMA scene of his homeland is. Especially at a time when the dominance of Dagestani MMA is a hot topic among MMA fans.

After all, Khabib Nurmagomedov recently claimed that Dagestani MMA is far ahead of the Irish MMA scene in the run-up to Bellator’s ‘Dagestan vs. Ireland 2’ clash. There, Khabib’s cousin Usman will defend his Bellator 155-pound title against exciting Irish star Paul Hughes on January 25.

This naturally warrants a lot of pressure on Usman. After all, if he loses, he not only will ruin Makhachev’s aforementioned plans but also give the Dagestani fight scene a black mark. This would be a bit of a letdown, especially after Makhachev’s recent exploits.

Islam Makhachev proves Dagestani dominance at UFC 311

Islam Makhachev proved last week that he might be the best mixed martial artist in the world. After all, the Dagestani UFC champ submitted Renato Moicano in the very first round after agreeing to fight the Brazilian on just two days’ notice. Short-notice fights, of course, are always tricky for the champions since the challenger has literally nothing to lose.

But Makhachev came through and wiped the floor with Moicano, which would be expected of the #1 pound-for-pound fighter in the toughest, most competitive promotion in the world. Not to mention the Makhachkala native now holds the record for the most title defenses at 155lbs in UFC history. Oh, and he is one win short of tying Anderson Silva’s record for most consecutive UFC wins with 16.

Safe to say the champ is rapidly hurtling towards being on the Mount Rushmore of MMA. And many prominent entities including Joe Rogan claim that he has already overtaken Khabib Nurmagomedov. Makhachev may not be the biggest PPV seller even in the UFC, nor even the most exciting fighter to watch. But it cannot be denied he is the best fighter in the promotion at the moment.

This could also be taken to mean that the Dagestani is the veritable home of MMA at the moment. What do you think about Islam Makhachev’s plans after he gets back to Dagestan?