What goes on in the mountains of Dagestan that the region produces so many world-class combat sports athletes? Well, the world might just find out as Islam Makhachev has begun filming for a Netflix documentary.
While MMA legend Khabib Nurmagomedov is its most popular export, followed by Makhachev himself, this small province in southern Russia already had multiple Olympic gold medalists to its credit. They just won 3 in Paris earlier this year.
Despite this, very little is known about the mountains and the fighters that live and train in them. Hopefully, that is going to change with the involvement of top UFC stars like Makhachev and Khabib.
In the video that has been going viral in MMA circles, Makhachev is seen shadowboxing in a cage specifically set up for the purpose of filming this documentary, which according to reports will be released on the streaming platform in 2025.
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Right now, no further information about the program has been made public. However, there is some news on the Makhchev front.
The UFC lightweight champion seems to have successfully recovered from his hand injury. The Dagestani fighter had suffered from a partial ligament tear during his fight against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302, forcing him into surgery and possible rehab.
The champ is all set to face Arman Tsarukyan in the first half of 2025 in what will be his fourth title defense. If he is successful in defeating the Armenian, it will push him past Khabib and BJ Penn as the greatest UFC lightweight of all time.
Despite the initial criticism of Makhachev’s wrestling-heavy style and riding the Khabib wave, his dedication to the mixed martial arts and pursuit of becoming a complete fighter seems to be gaining him a newfound respect from a fandom of his peers.
Michael Chandler was ‘biggest Islam hater’, but no more
When Makhachev won the title against Charles Oliveira and announced his arrival on the big stage to fill in the shoes once worn by Khabib, not many liked it.
He was just another wrestler who could take people to the ground and stay there for five rounds if he needed to. ‘Boring’, they would often say.
But Makhachev is not molded after Khabib. He doesn’t need to keep pressure and use ground and pound.
The 32-year-old has not only been shooting takedowns at the time, but he has been creative and is either making his opponents tap or finding new ways to knock them out; an unusual feat generally not associated with wrestlers.
In fact, his game has only improved since those early days, and to the point where he was able to outstrike Dustin Poirier during their title fight earlier this year, which brought him a brand new set of fans, Chandler being one of them.
“I have a ton of respect for Islam because, trust me, I was one of the biggest Islam haters. He has done nothing but improve, done nothing but impress, and done nothing but gain steam.”
Chandler will not want to sweet-talk the champ too much though, as he has title aspirations and if he wins against Charles Oliveria, he will come knocking on the Dagestani’s door.
