A few days ago, Gonzalo, an ‘aspiring mixed martial artist’ from Spain, became the first person to live out Islam Makhachev’s infamous ‘Send to Dagestan 2-3 years and forget’ meme. But it turns out the teenager was actually playing the long game. He has now revealed himself to be a YouTuber who did it all for the content- the behind-the-scenes of special Dagetsani training.
And no, unfortunately for trolls online, he wasn’t a spy sent on a secret mission by Ilia Topuria!
In an auto-dubbed Spanish video on his YouTube channel, he documented his visit to multiple gyms owned by Russian wrestling legends, till he made his way to Khabib’s gym.
According to Gonzalo, he was in Makhachkala just to meet the UFC lightweight champion, but Islam got in contact with him and asked him to come train with him at his gym. Not knowing what to expect, he went in just to see Islam and his team playing Wrestleball, a sport that combines basketball, wrestling, and rugby.
After a quick warm-up, he got straight into the action, a grappling match against Makhachev himself. Although the UFC champ was going easy on him, Gonzalo held his own for a solid minute, before the champ started toying with him.
In the end, the Spanish YouTuber found himself on the ground with the champ on his back, using an unconventional submission method, just covering Gonzalo’s face till he would tap out.
And although the YouTuber made it seem like he was there to spy on the Dagestani’s, he had nothing but respect for them, and only gave fans an inside glimpse of the special sauce that makes Dagestani champions so dominant.
Of course, not everyone who trains with Islam or Khabib automatically becomes a world-class talent. Sometimes, it takes ‘2-3 years,’ like the champ has suggested; sometimes, it takes much, much longer.
Islam roasts Deron Winn
If you thought Islam’s sense of humor was only limited to making fun of Daniel Cormier’s weight, think again. Nobody is safe when the UFC lightweight champ switches to English.
His latest victim: former teammate and training partner Deron Winn. The former UFC middleweight and standout wrestler had dreams of heading to Dagestan to train.
He posted a wholesome message on Instagram saying, “Miss my brothers. Maybe I come Dagestan 2-3 weeks then leave?” referring to Khabib and Islam, who are both currently back home in the off-season.
“You need 10 years”, Islam responded.
— THE UFCGUY (@the_ufcguy) April 5, 2025
Well, at least Islam says it like he sees it. Regardless, this is quite mean-spirited from the champion. To be fair, this is the same guy, who, when asked about Khabib being thrown out of the plane, claimed such an action would have only made sense if it had happened to Cormier.
So, no surprises here!
