Republic of Dagestan: The exotic home of up to 12 UFC fighters

Nassourdine Imavov will headline UFC Vegas 35 alongside Roman Dolidze on Saturday evening. No surprise, he hails from the Republic of Dagestan.

Cristina ParraCriistinaparra_Update: Jun 1st, 2024 11:24 EDT0

Instagram: @imavov_nassourdine

The Republic of Dagestan (Russia) has just over three million inhabitants. Still, it has 12 fighters in the UFC, the most numerous MMA national representation in the world—a legacy that undeniably Khabib Nurmagomedov started. On Saturday night, Nassourdine Imavov will face Roman Dolidze in the main event of UFC Vegas 85 to move up the middleweight ranks, and he is just one of the dozen exquisite fighting ps today in the MMA world.

We've got a middleweight main event 🔥@Imavov1 & @RomanDolidzeUFC are ready for #UFCVegas85![ Watch live TOMORROW on @ESPNPlus ] pic.twitter.com/XL8HDRMDPd

— UFC (@ufc) February 2, 2024

Nassourdine Imavov, a French national born in the Russian republic of Dagestan, will headline the primary fight at UFC Vegas 85. He currently holds eleventh in the middleweight ranking and aims to climb higher in the division led by Dricus du Plessis. His opponent will be the Georgian Roman Dolidze, who is ranked eighth.

It all started with Khabib

Khabib Nurmagomedov has become a prominent and influential p in the UFC and MMA, even after retiring from the octagon. His exceptional skills, raw strength in the cage, and victories against renowned fighters like Conor McGregor have propelled him into the global spotlight. Known for his courageous nature, strict training regime, and a video of him wrestling with a bear, he gained widespread attention, endearing him to fans and establishing a fighting legacy followed by 12 of his compatriots.

Dagestan currently boasts six ranked fighters, a considerable number considering its total population. However, there are no female fighters from Dagestan in the UFC.