Wrestling is one of the most popular sports in Dagestan. Despite its relatively small population of around 3 million, Dagestan has historically produced a disproportionate number of Olympic and World champions in freestyle wrestling. Five-time freestyle wrestling world champion, Ali Aliyev was the first wrestler from Dagestan to win a world title.
In recent years, mixed martial arts (MMA) has become popular in Dagestan due to wrestling being an important component of it. The most notable figure in this field is Khabib Nurmagomedov who utilized his wrestling and grappling skillset to become UFC Lightweight Champion and retired undefeated.
Background
Wrestling plays a significant role in the lives of people in Dagestan. Men from the area have stated they have always wrestled in traditional bouts between mountain villages. The location of Dagestan in the Caucasus has put it in a position that is constantly at the threat of war historically and therefore a need to develop an attitude towards fighting was needed. Neighbouring counties such Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia as well as neighboring regions such as Ossetia, Chechnya, Ingushetia and Abkhazia also have significant participation in wrestling. However Dagestan stands out even amongst its neighboring peers.
During the Soviet Union era, wrestling was not given much attention; few villages had gyms, and the sport withered.
In modern times after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, wrestling became popular in Dagestan as it was used as a method to prevent youths from getting involved with Islamic terrorism. It is considered to offer an alternative, positive vision of fighting and Islam. Those that succeed in wrestling at the highest level could see their lives entirely changed. New gyms were built with even smaller villages having their own ones. When the International Olympic Committee considered removing wrestling from the Olympics, many in Dagestan were concerned that without wrestling, many youths would end up on the streets or worse participate in terrorism.
Wrestling attracts many different ethnic groups in the region to train together. Every morning, dozens of boys and young men turn out to run on the beach near the Caspian Sea as part of their cardio exercise. On weekends, they would turn on mountain trails. Wrestling in Dagestan uses a fine tuned methodology developed over centuries and has a lot of cultural wrestling influences. Conditioning is plyometric based and focuses on movements and exercises optimized for wrestling. There is an emphasis on technique such as clinch work, hand fighting and counterattacking.
Many wrestlers after retiring choose to become coaches and mentors. Wrestling coaches are held in high esteem and are considered father figures and moral guides for youths. Coaches and athletes pray together at gyms and some wrestlers see wrestling as having religious significance. An example is Khadzhimurad Magomedov who won a gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics and afterwards became a coach with the Russian team while raising a family in Moscow. In Makhachkala there are over 50,000 competitive wrestlers.
Athletes from across the world have moved to Dagestan to train such as Frank Chamizo and Saifedine Alekma. In one gym, there can be multiple champion-level wrestlers to train with.
Due to popular demand and overcapacity, wrestling gyms have been forced to turn newcomers away. Due to limited spaces on the national team, wrestlers from Dagestan have competed for other countries such as Sharif Sharifov, Albert Saritov and Magomed Ibragimov.
Notable figures
One of the most prominent figures when it comes to wrestling in Dagestan is Five-time freestyle wrestling world champion, Ali Aliyev. He was the first wrestler from Dagestan to win a world title which he won at the 1959 World Wrestling Championships. The Ali Aliyev Sport Complex is named after him and hosts an international freestyle wrestling tournament in memory of him each year.
Zagalav Abdulbekov was the first wrestler from Dagestan to win an olympic gold medal in wrestling which was done at the 1972 Summer Olympics.
Buvaisar Saitiev is considered the greatest freestyle wrestler in history as a three-time Olympic champion and six-time world champion.
Abdulrashid Sadulaev is the second most accomplished wrestler from Dagestan as a two-time Olympic champion and five-time world champion. He is currently still competing professionally.