Highlighting The Russian Wave
The UFC set foot in Russia for the first ever at UFC Fight Night 136 and it has been a long time coming for the biggest MMA promotion in the world.
Russia has always been a fighting nation with plenty of big names in most combat sports but recently they have taken over the UFC.
Particularly fighters from Dagestan who are making their way into the MMA world at a rapid pace and are not just showing up they are beginning to take over.
The leader among the all is Khabib Nurmagomedov who was one of the first Dagestani fighters to make his way to the UFC.
Now he is the lightweight champion and his countrymen are following right behind him as they begin to move up the rankings.
The UFC is now seeing a number of Dagestani fighters making their way into the top of the divisions in the UFC and they are looking good.
Fighters like Zabit Magomedshapirov have come into the UFC with such a legend behind them that it is near impossible to meet expectations.
Then again when they come into the promotion they continue to win and look exactly as so many people thought they would.
These fighters are bringing in a different type of fighting to the UFC as they are the balanced fighters that make life difficult for so many.
They almost all have a background in Combat Sambo which is turning out to be a great base for success in MMA.
Sambo in itself is a form of MMA as it mixes multiple disciplines into one form of wrestling that has been a major sport in Russia since the Soviet Union.
The discipline is a great base as these Russians are coming in with a base that seems to translate even better than wrestling.
There have been so many different disciplines that have been used by so many different fighters in the sport.
Wrestling has widely been considered to be one of the best as it allows a fighter to at the very least prevent takedowns or take someone down in order to ground and pound.
Sambo seems like the same thing although it also seems that these Sambo fighters are easily turned into great ground fighters in MMA.
Nurmagomedov is considered one of the best wrestlers in the UFC and is a Master of Sport in Combat Sambo.
Much like many of the other Dagestani fighters are the same and when they can add BJJ to that wrestling background it becomes extremely tough to beat them.
They are making a push in the UFC and some of the brightest stars who are rising through the ranks are Russians.
As the UFC began scheduling their upcoming events they were looking to a place where they are finding more and more talent every year.
They aren’t the first promotion to get to Russia but they are by far the biggest promotion and their first event was sure to just be the start.
As they always do when in another country they begin to load the card with talent from that country.
They give chances to some fighters who get a shot at the biggest promotion in the world in front of their home crowd.
The UFC also looks to give the fans a star or a star in the making to cheer for in the main event.
They did that with Alexey Oleinik who is one of the Russians moving through the rankings and nearing the top.
Oleinik has been impressive in the heavyweight division becoming known for his ability to ends fights on the ground.
His Sambo background is showing through with four of his five wins in the UFC coming by submission.
He was set to move even further up the rankings against a legend in Mark Hunt who was looking to shut the Russian down early and end the fight with a signature knockout.
Although Hunt did land a big shot at the start of the fight it wasn’t enough to put the Russian out.
Oleinik came back and landed a big shot of his own putting Hunt on the back foot and opening him up for the takedown.
That is where Oleinik went to work as he took the fight to the ground and worked through his ground game.
Hunt has never been known for his ground game and so he struggled with an expert looking to end the fight.
Oleinik eventually sunk in a rear naked choke that Hunt couldn’t get out of as the fight came to an end like so many of Oleinik’s fights.
It was another submission for the Russian and another win for one of many Dagestani fighters who are beginning to take over.
With one champion already Oleinik is beginning to look like yet another leader for the Russian invasion happening right now in the UFC, which is likely a sign that the promotion will return to the scene of UFC Fight Night 136.
The Sport Addiction 