The martial arts journey of Russian star Magomed Ankalaev took shape when he started training in Greco-Roman wrestling while studying at Dagestan State University. Hence, that was an essential part of his eventual journey into the world of mixed martial arts, and since he became a pro in 2014, ‘Russian Terror’ has now reached the biggest stage in the sport, the UFC.

However, it’s never an easy road in the world of combat sports, and unsurprisingly, Ankalaev had a lot of help. This assistance was in the form of coaches, and teammates. Hence, ahead of his UFC 308 clash against Aleksander Rakic, we’ll take a look at the people behind the light heavyweight contender’s rise in mixed martial arts.

Where does Magomed Ankalaev train? Gym and coach

Since the beginning of his endeavors in MMA, Magomed Ankalaev has trained with only one team – Fight Club Akhmat. Founded by the Head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov, FC Akhmat has produced great UFC talents such as Khamzat Chimaev, with former heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum training in the gym during his active fighting career as well.

Ankalaev trained under coaches Sukhrab Magomedov and Alibatyrov Shamil in Russia, but he has another team that he trains with whenever he’s in the West. Yes, the 32-year-old trains with Eric Nicksick at Xtreme Couture for his UFC fights in the United States of America. Ankalaev has shared several moments and snaps from his training sessions at Xtreme Couture on social media.

Although he’s had some great teammates that he trains within his native country, Magomed Ankalaev has even more world-class teammates in the States. Moreover, he has sparred even with former champions like Sean Strickland.

Magomed Ankalaev spars with Sean Strickland

Sean Strickland seems to love sparring with light heavyweight contenders. Before he sparred with Alex Pereira, ‘Tarzan’ even worked to improve his grappling skills with Magomed Ankalaev. They sparred at Xtreme Couture before both of their main events fights earlier this year and a few times more in the years before that. Later, the Russian star would share some interesting words about Strickland, which were quite positive.

“He always wants to spar for some reason. He is energetic, he’s a good guy [and] he’s always been nice to me. That’s all I can say about him,” Magomed Ankalaev told ‘The Schmo’. Meanwhile, being from Makhachkala, some fans wondered if the light heavyweight contender ever trained with ‘The Eagle’ Khabib Nurmagomedov. However, the duo never crossed paths.

Magomed Ankalaev, with all his training and development, is now in an impressive position, having remained undefeated since late 2018. Can he continue his streak and get closer to the divisional gold? That remains to be seen on October 26.