Best Dagestani Fighters

Conquering the Cage: A Look at the Best Dagestani MMA Fighters

Over the years, Dagestan has produced some of the best MMA fighters the world has seen. This region is located in the northwest of the Caspian Sea and has always been the place of origin of several world-class combat sports athletes. 

Combat sports like MMA are so popular in this region that you find a gym in every other corner. As a result, Dagestan has given the world many Olympic and world champions who will rule the cage for years to come.

Khabib, Usman & Umar

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Dagestani MMA fighters are so good that according to one data, they have won 87% of their bouts, which shows the level of skill and passion in these athletes.

In this article, we will discuss with you some of the most successful and emerging Dagestani MMA fighters who have the potential to become the best MMA fighters of all time.

Here is the list of the best Dagestani MMA fighters that every enthusiastic fan of this sport needs to check out:

Khabib Nurmagomedov

Khabib was the longest-reigning UFC lightweight champion from 2018 to 2021. He remained undefeated in 29 matches, of which 8 were knockouts, 11 by submission, and 10 by decision. He is hailed as the greatest mixed martial arts athlete for his undefeated record and was given the honor of being inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in June 2022. No doubt, he is among the most famous legends of the ring and will stay so for years to come.
Khabib Nurmagomedov
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Islam Mackhachev

With a record win of 24 bouts out of 25, Islam has emerged as a great addition to the MMA legacy of Dagestan. He has been considered the next big thing after Khabib for many years now by the fans and the experts in this sport. He has earned the title of UFC lightweight champion, and as of March 2023, he was #3 in a pound-to-pound ranking of UFC.

Islam Mackhachev
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Zabit Magomedsharipov

Zabit Magomedsharipov was a popular UGC fighter who participated in the UFC featherweight division and ACB or Absolute Championship Berkut. Although he has retired now, during his active years, he was able to win the ACB featherweight title, and since then, he has been among the most popular names in MMA. With 18 wins out of 19 bouts, of which 6 are by knockouts, this player had so much to offer in terms of fighting style and technique.

Zabit Magomedsharipov
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Magomed Ankalaev

Before joining MMA in 2014, Magomed fought in combat Sambo and garnered huge attention for his strong striking and grappling base. Though his debut UFC fight against Paul Craig was a lost by submission, he has still been able to push back with a few KOs, the most popular of which was against Cutelaba at UFC Fight Night 169. He currently holds the record of 18 wins out of 20 MMA bouts. Among these wins, 10 were knockouts, 8 by decision, and one loss and one draw.

Magomed Ankalaev

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Rustam Khabilov

Rustam is a lightweight combat sport athlete who has been a world champion in Combat Sambo and a prominent name in the UFC for many years.  Out of 28 MMA bouts, he has been able to win 24, which shows how effective his fighting style and technique are.

Rustam Khabilov

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Umar Nurmagomedov

Umar Nurmagomedov currently competes in the Bantamweight division of UFC, where he has been undefeated in 16 consecutive bouts. Before UFC, he was also a prominent name in Eagle Fighting Championship EFC and Professional Fighters League PFL.

Umar Nurmagomedov
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At the age of just 19, he was able to become Combat Sambo world champion and by age 20 he earned the title of WMMAA’s world champion in Amateur MMA.       

Usman Nurmagomedov

Usman is the younger brother of Umar Nurmagomedov. He has been able to win all 17 of the MMA bouts that he was in. Competing in the Lightweight Division of Bellator MMA, he won the championship title by defeating Patricky Pitbull in November 2022. 

Usman Nurmagomedov

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Usman has an immaculate striking, blocking, and grappling technique, enabling him to win 8 bouts by KOs, 6 by submission, and 3 by decision.

Shamil Zavurov

This incredible MMA fighter competed in both welterweight and lightweight divisions. Former M-1 Global welterweight champion, Shamil has garnered fans' attention and love for so many years. He has won more than 50 bouts in MMA and Combat Sambo separately. Throughout his career, he won 40 bouts out of 48 in MMA, out of which 13 are KOs, which is insane.  

Shamil Zavurov
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Abdul-Rakhman Dudaev

Abdul-Rakhman is a prominent fighter in the Bantamweight division of MMA with a record of 31 wins and 8 losses. He has won 8 bouts with knockouts, 11 with submission, and 11 with decision. This emerging Dagestani fighter has shown feats of great strength and technique at the start of his career, and the future looks quite promising.

Abdul-Rakhman Dudaev
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Rashid Magomedov

This former lightweight and middleweight boxer has won 25 out of 31 bouts, 10 of which are knockouts. He started his UFC career in 2014 in a match against Anthony Rocco Martin, which he won by unanimous decision. He took part in PFL for two consecutive years, i.e., 2018-19, and then signed a contract with Absolute Championship Akhmat in 2020.
Rashid Magomedov
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Movlid Khaybulaev

Movlid has been a professional fighter since 2011 and is still fighting in the featherweight division of PFL. He holds the record of 21 MMA wins out of 23 total bouts. He has also competed in Fight Nights Global and ONE Championship, where he took on incredible fighters from across the globe.

Movlid Khaybulaev

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Sharabutdin Magomedov

This emerging fighter has won all 11 of his MMA bouts so far and has an overall streak of 16. Fighting in the welterweight division, he has won 10 of his bouts with a KO and 1 with a unanimous decision. Sharabutdin is expected to make his appearance in UFC 294 in October, and the fans are already excited to see him in action.  

Sharabutdin Magomedov
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Wrapping it Up

Dagestan has so much to offer in combat sports like MMA. The fighters coming out of this region are tough, skilled, and exciting to watch inside the cage. This region has given the world many top-level fighters and several legendary rivalries in MMA.

The fighters we have mentioned in this article prove that this region has a lot of hidden potential regarding MMA. The athletes it has produced are all elite, and their amazing fighting styles and immaculate techniques have made them prominent names in this sport worldwide.   

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