MMA continues to garner worldwide popularity as more fighters from across the world are being signed by major MMA promotions. For many years, MMA was dominated by Brazilian, American, and Japanese fighters.

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Today, fighters from every continent are continuously pursuing their dream of becoming an MMA champion in various organizations including the UFC, Bellator, and ONE. One part of the world that has recently garnered notoriety due to the success of its fighters is the Republic of Dagestan. Dagestan is a republic of Russia and has over 3.1 million residents. Without further ado, here are 10 of the top MMA fighters that have come from Dagestan.

UPDATE: 2023/10/31 14:30 EST BY JOSH EVANOFF

When it comes to the modern world of MMA, it seems that Dagestan is the current king. Over the years, there have been various countries that have risen to have incredible years of dominance. Brazil's dominance early in the sport was well-known, and Mexico had three champions this year in the UFC alone.

That being said, it appears that Dagestan is having its moment in the sun right now. While there are many incredible fighters to hail from Dagestan, these make the cut as the absolute best. Although there's a crazy of talent coming out of the country right now, these ten still stand out.

10 Ali Bagautinov

Ali Bagautinov is a Russian mixed martial artist who rose to fame after competing in the flyweight division of the UFC. He has compiled a 22-7 professional record in MMA and is currently riding a three-fight winning streak in Brave CF.

Before joining the UFC, he compiled a 10-2 record. He earned a title shot against Demetrious Johnson by defeating Marcos Vinicius, Tim Elliot, and John Lineker. After suffering two back-to-back losses to Johnson and Joseph Benavidez, he was released from the UFC but continues to compete primarily in Russia. Not only in MMA but in boxing, having compiled a 2-0 record.

9 Rustam Khabilov

Rustam Khabilov is a Russian lightweight who successfully competed in the UFC between 2013 and 2019. Before joining the UFC, he compiled an impressive 14-1 record. He holds victories over Yancy Medeiros, Jorge Masvidal, Norman Parke, and Leandro Silva.

After six years with the UFC, Khabilov signed with Bellator MMA but has yet to make his promotional debut. The Russian has had two canceled bouts since his late 2020 signing, but health issues have gotten in the way.

8 Rashid Magomedov

Rashid Magomedov is a Russian mixed martial artist who competed primarily at lightweight. Throughout his career, he has competed in various promotions including M-1, UFC, PFL, and ACA.

Magomedov was once a top-ranked UFC lightweight and holds victories over Anthony Rocco Martin, Gilbert Burns, Bobby Green, and Thiago Tavares. He now competes in the ACA and has had mixed success in the promotion. Magomedov holds a 2-1 (1 NC) record in the company, with his next bout yet to be scheduled.

7 Muslim Salikhov

Muslim Salikhov was once one of the top prospects in the UFC welterweight division. Now in his late 30s, he's shared the octagon with some high-profile names over the years.

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Salikhov holds victories over Laureano Staropoli, Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, and Francisco Trinaldo. He is also a seasoned Sanda and kickboxing practitioner, having spent years kickboxing in China.

6 Omari Akhmedov

Omari Akhmedov is a long-time UFC middleweight who competed from 2013 to 2021. He has compiled a 21-7 record and faced some of the best middleweights in the world to date.

Akhmedov has shared the Octagon with several middleweight standouts including Marvin Vettori, Tim Boetsch, Ian Heinisch, and Chris Weidman. He now competes in the PFL as a light heavyweight. In 2022, he came up just short of winning the million-dollar tournament, losing in the finals to Rob Wilkinson.

5 Said Nurmagomedov

Nurmagomedov is an active UFC bantamweight and has compiled an 18-3 record in professional MMA. He was signed by the UFC after compiling an 11-1 record, primarily competing in Russia.

He is 7-2 in his UFC campaign and holds victories over Ricardo Ramos and Cody Stamann. Nurmagomeov last competed at UFC 294 in October 2023, scoring a first-round submission win over Muin Gafurov.

4 Zabit Magomedsharipov

Zabit Magomedsharipov is a UFC featherweight competitor and has compiled an impressive 18-1 record. He is a former ACB featherweight champion but vacated the title to be signed by the UFC.

Magomedsharipov was once considered a top 5 featherweight in the world but has not competed since November 2019 due to health concerns. He holds victories over Jeremy Stephens and Calvin Kattar. In June 2022, Magomedsharipov revealed that he was likely retired, as he instead targeted a career switch to the medical field.

3 Magomed Ankalaev

Magomed Ankalaev is one of the best fighters to come out of Dagestan. He competes in the UFC light heavyweight division and is currently ranked in the top ten of the official rankings.

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Ankalaev joined the UFC after compiling a perfect 9-0 record but lost to Paul Craig in his debut. However, he is currently riding a ten-fight unbeaten streak including victories over Nikita Krylov and Volkan Oezdemir. While he fought to a draw for vacant gold against Jan Blachowicz last year, his time in the title scene is likely just beginning.

2 Islam Makhachev

Islam Makhachev is currently the reigning lightweight champion. He has compiled a 25-1 record which includes 13 victories in a row as a UFC lightweight. Like his friend Khabib Nurmagomdeov, Makhachev is a powerful Sambo practitioner who relentlessly attacks his opponents with offensive wrestling and vicious top control.

Makhachev is currently coming off back-to-back wins over featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski. His rivalry with 'The Great' was one for the ages, and helped cement his place as one of the best on the planet.

1 Khabib Nurmagomedov

Khabib Nurmagomedov is without a doubt the best fighter to come out of Dagestan. The former UFC lightweight champion has compiled a perfect 29-0 record which includes 19 wins by submission or knockout.

Nurmagomedov's win streak is considered one of the greatest records in all combat sports and includes victories over Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje. Although he retired after defending his lightweight title for the third time in 2020, Nurmagomedov is still active in the combat sports community and trains many of his countrymen. He was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in the summer of 2022.