Khabib Nurmagomedov’s unblemished legacy is part of MMA folklore. While the Dagestani ace retired a bit prematurely, there has never been a more dominant fighter in the history of our sport. And a significant part of it is because of his unshakable work ethic and where he comes from.

After all, Dagestani kids, instead of playing basketball or baseball like their American counterparts, wrestle each other for fun. To the point that the region, home to barely 3 million people, is taking over the MMA world. Khabib passed his UFC lightweight crown to childhood friend and teammate, Islam Makhachev, while his cousin Usman Nurmagomedov is the Bellator lightweight champion.

And tonight, the AKA-Dagestani mafia has captured another title in the second-largest MMA promotion in the world. Gadzhi Rabadanov defeated former Bellator champion Brent Primus in their 2024 PFL tournament finals to become the PFL lightweight champion and win the $1 million prize.

And ‘Team Khabib’ is predictably jubilant. Their manager, Ali Abdelaziz, took to social media right after Rabadanov’s victory to celebrate.“Now @TeamKhabib have every belt for every promotion around the world [Islam Makhachev] UFC champion [Usman Nurmagomedov] Bellator champion [Gadzhi Rabadanov] PFL CHAMPION,” he wrote.

Rabadanov, like the rest of his Dagestani cohorts, excels at grappling, coming from a combat sambo background. This is why many felt that the fight with Primus would be decided on the ground. Not only was this not the case, but the fight had a far more entertaining outcome.

Why Rabadanov may have to fight a fellow Dagestani for bragging rights?

Gadzhi Rabadanov was the overwhelming favorite going into his fight with Primus. And the Dagestani lived up to the expectations and then some, knocking Primus out, face first, with a fantastic right-left-right combination in the third round. Now he will take his rightful place alongside Islam Makhachev and Usman Nurmagomedov as the cream of the Dagestani crop.

Now, however, he faces an even tougher challenge- what to do next. After all, Usman is a Bellator champ, which is owned by the PFL. The Donn Davis-led promotion held the first ever PFL X Bellator mega-event earlier this year, which saw champions from either promotion fight each other.

If there is a second event in the not-too-distant future, as some suspect, then Rabadanov will have to fight Usman. Since the AKA gym members never fight each other, Rabadanov would surely be in a dilemma. A fight with Usman will almost surely be the biggest, most financially lucrative fight of his career.

Not to mention, the PFL may give him no other choice but to fight his fellow Dagestani. What Rabadanov does then will show us just how strong the ‘no fighting teammates’ principle is in the AKA gym. What do you think about Rabadanov winning the PFL lightweight title?