# Russian fighters in the UFC - what's up with Dagestan/Chechnya�



## Voiceless (Nov 8, 2010)

*Russian fighters in the UFC - what's up with Dagestan/Chechnya¿*

Some may have noticed the influx of Russian fighters into the UFC lately, but have you realised that almost all of them are from the same small area in Russia¿

















*Dagestan*
Khabib Nurmagomedov (21-0/5–0)
Rustam Khabilov (17-1/3–0)
Ali Bagautinov (11-2/1-0)
Omari Akhmedov (12-0/1-0)

*Chechnya*
Adlan Amagov (13-2-1/2-0)
Adam Khaliev (6-0/0-0)

They haven't been in the real deep waters of the UFC, but so far they have a combined perfect 12-0 in the Octagon.


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## jonnyg4508 (Jan 30, 2010)

Couple real good Bellator guys from the same area as well. Interesting.


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## Canadian Psycho (Apr 22, 2007)

It's called "biding your time". The USSR shall rise again!


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## Toxic (Mar 1, 2007)

If you look at a population density map you would realize that your question is answered.


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## Voiceless (Nov 8, 2010)

Toxic said:


> If you look at a population density map you would realize that your question is answered.


Not really. The area around Dagestan and Chechnya has an average to above average population density, but it's still a small area and there a lots of other areas with an comparable population density, yet almost all Russian UFC fighters come from that small area. The highest population density is around Moscow and West of Moscow.










Another map, showing also the size of cities by inhabitants: http://kontur-map.ru/580270_BIG_0_0.jpg


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## Trix (Dec 15, 2009)

Dagestan is also where the Boston Marathon Bomber / ex golden gloves champion was from.

Some of those guys aren't russian, they're from ***** like Fedor but their ethnicity is chechen / chechnyan(sp?).


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## Toxic (Mar 1, 2007)

This was the first one I found, I am not that familiar with Russia it was simply my first suspicion due to it being you know obivous and it seemed to comfirm my suspicion.


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## Life B Ez (Jan 23, 2010)

Canadian Psycho said:


> It's called "biding your time". The USSR shall rise again!


Comrade! 

Sent from Verticalsports.com Free App


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## Guy Incognito (Apr 3, 2010)

They're quite proud of their independence from Russia.


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## The_Senator (Jun 5, 2008)

I wonder why GSP is wearing clothes with russian symbols and colors during the primetime?


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## Soojooko (Jun 4, 2009)

... or it could just be that some countries produce hard bastards.


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## Liddellianenko (Oct 8, 2006)

They're a product of their environment. Chechenya has been rebelling for a separate country ever since the USSR broke but they were still kept in the Russian Federation. Ethnically and linguistically they're closer to their Central Asian neighbors like Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan etc. than to Russians, it's just that the line had to be drawn somewhere and they were kept in Russia which doesn't make them happy. Rebel attacks and brutal army repression has been the norm there for a while. 

Places like that breed fighters in one form or another, it's just survival of the fittest, the same way you'll find a lot of the best American and Brazilian fighters growing up in the roughest cities or neighborhoods. The level-headed ones get into sports to release their energy and rise in a positive way, the misguided ones end up in gangs or violent rebel groups.


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## Toxic (Mar 1, 2007)

The_Senator said:


> I wonder why GSP is wearing clothes with russian symbols and colors during the primetime?


or it could be Red and White which are Canada and Blue which is Quebec the province he is from, as for the symbol I would say its a Catholic church based symbol and that its french based on the fleur de lis at the top. Its probably a planet Quebec thing.


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## osmium (Mar 6, 2007)

Toxic said:


> or it could be Red and White which are Canada and Blue which is Quebec the province he is from, as for the symbol I would say its a Catholic church based symbol and that its french based on the fleur de lis at the top. Its probably a planet Quebec thing.


That double-headed eagle is the russian federations coat of arms. He probably got it while doing a seminar in russia or something.

As for the main topic it is likely just a cultural reason along the lines of what liddellianenko said.


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## Voiceless (Nov 8, 2010)




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## MMATycoon (Aug 15, 2011)

Guys from there start start fighting young, that's why they are so durable and can take a lot of pain. They have a exercize called 2 minutes of pain.


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## MagiK11 (Dec 31, 2006)

MMATycoon said:


> Guys from there start start fighting young, that's why they are so durable and can take a lot of pain. They have a exercize called 2 minutes of pain.


Let's not forget they wrestle bears who know BJJ :laugh:


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## UKMMAGURU (Nov 15, 2009)

Simples;

The most densely populated areas are the bigger Metropolitan areas (Moscow, Saint Peterburg etc) which are mostly Western style city living.

The Caucus region is also densely populated however the cities there are much less developed and as a result you have a more traditional way of life. This includes Wrestling, something the Caucus region is famous for.


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## Voiceless (Nov 8, 2010)

Still it's astonishing. The older generation of top former Soviet fighters are mainly Eastern Slavic (Fedor & Alexander Emelianenko, Oleg Taktarov, Sergei Kharitonov, Alexander Shlemenko, Andrei Arlovski, Vladimir Matyushenko, Igor Vovchanchyn) while the new generation seems to be mainly from the Caucasus region, in particular Dagestan and Chechnya.


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## UKMMAGURU (Nov 15, 2009)

Voiceless said:


> Still it's astonishing. The older generation of top former Soviet fighters are mainly Eastern Slavic (Fedor & Alexander Emelianenko, Oleg Taktarov, Sergei Kharitonov, Alexander Shlemenko, Andrei Arlovski, Vladimir Matyushenko, Igor Vovchanchyn) while the new generation seems to be mainly from the Caucasus region, in particular Dagestan and Chechnya.


Boxing in the USA

1900-1960s - Italians and Irish

1960s-1990s - Blacks

1990s-present - Latinos

Why?

I don't know, but find the reason and you may be able to apply it to regions in Russia.


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## Tiptup (Mar 12, 2012)

It is a wonder more fighters don't come from the thousands of miles of barren tundra and instead come from a populated region. I'm sure it's a matter of time fight pass has an event in Omsk. All the 2-0 moose herders can come down for that.


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## Bknmax (Mar 16, 2008)

Have you people noticed how a lot of good fighters come from AKA? or Alphamale,Shlemenko's gym has like 4 champions in Bellator so go figure that that whole region goes to Red Fury Fight Team including newly signed by ufc ALbu.You think there's an MMA gym in Dagestan on every corner? they all do ***** and just started MMA wait and see what happens in 10 years.


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## MMATycoon (Aug 15, 2011)

The_Senator said:


> I wonder why GSP is wearing clothes with russian symbols and colors during the primetime?


Probably a coincidence


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## Hammerlock2.0 (Jun 17, 2009)

Dagestan and Chechnya are "high risk" so there's a lot of military and police. Maybe these guys share a common background.


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## UKMMAGURU (Nov 15, 2009)

Hammerlock2.0 said:


> Dagestan and Chechnya are "high risk" so there's a lot of military and police. Maybe these guys share a common background.


They are both Muslim regions of Russia, more or less both in the Caucus "southern" region as well, the cities there are old school. I know this because my fiancé is also from the Caucus region. The work is hard, the money is scarce and the people are real.


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