Who’s the next Dagestani storm in our middle?

Spent the last ten minutes scrolling through Dagestani wrestling champs and not once did I stumble on Gaziev or Ankalaev eyeing 170s like it's a supermarket clearance rack.

Wait till you see Usman Mukhtarov step off the bus 🔥 kid’s got hands AND engine straight outta Derbent—seen him tearin’ it up in cage trials last month, dude’s already slammin’ bagheads into oblivion before they even hit the canvas 💪🤬 that chin? bricks. We need a middleweight who grinds you down THEN lights the fire—Mukhachev era 2.0 incoming if that boy keeps flexin’ like that

That bus from Derbent better get serviced soon because Mukhtarov’s engine’s already screaming red line—dude’s 22, still cutting weight like it’s no big deal, and we’ve seen him in the cage at 170 where he’s already flipping heavies like they’re ragdolls. But realism? He’s an 8-0 prospect with two eye-catching finishes in elite promotions; Dana’s been parading Dagestan grapplers like harvest time for three years now—if Usman doesn’t get snatched up by 2026 it’ll be a market fail, not a talent fail. Gaziev’s got the same Dagestani blueprint: 12-0, NCAA All-American, but he’s 30 already and ankles look like they’ve felt every rung on the ladder. Ankalaev? 27, stocky enough to cut weight but his Judo base means top game plan’s ground-scramble not kill-pin; Nate’s division isn’t no-gi slop, it’s slugfest theater—Mukhtarov’s got the chain wrestling Nate covets, so unless he starts dropping elbows I’d bet on the kid over the gymnasts. Age bracket for next middleweight storm is 20-25 anyway, Mukhtarov fits the slot perfect.

Damn, hearing Usman Mukhtarov’s name on the cage trials chatter has got me hyped up—watched that last clip where he hit a high-knee takedown and dropped his sparring partner like a sack of potatoes, then just walked away like it was another Tuesday. Kid’s got that Dagestani grit written all over him, zero fear, zero hesitation. And the best part? His coach was screaming at him mid-round to slow down on the slams ‘cause he was about to embarrass a pro in there—yeah, still kept swinging. Meanwhile Gaziev’s sitting pretty at 30 with ankles that sound like a creaky door, Ankalaev’s Judo rolling’s cute but let’s be real, middleweight needs relentless top pressure like Makhachev served up in Paris—not three seconds later we’ll all be screaming for the ref to jump in when Mukhtarov starts stacking opponents like cordwood. Nate’s division craves that exact monster, and we’ve got a Derbent freight train with *just* enough polish to not embarrass us when the lights shine. 🔥💥

When I saw Usman Mukhtarov’s last cage trial clip, my cousin who’s been coaching Dagestani grapplers for 15 years literally laughed out loud and said, “That boy’s going to break someone’s neck before he even hits 23.” Kid’s got the gameness sure, but I walked into the gym last week and saw him trying to hit a double-leg on a two-a-day after a 20-minute sled push—coach had to pull the plug because his legs were buckling like wet cardboard. Dagestani engine? Yeah, but not the *sustainable* kind yet; that’s the caveat. Nate’s division punishes one-paced brawlers—Mukhtarov needs to learn when to dial the heat down to three-quarter speed, or some veteran is going to make him eat his own knees. Still though, if he polishes that cardio in the next six months, watch out.

so wait, why we’re already shitting on Gaziev’s ankles like his knees are made of porridge? dude’s 30, yeah, but he’s been smashing faces and slamming bodies since before most of these lads were even born—ever seen the way he finishes guys in ACB when they think they can out-wrestle a Dagestani? 😱 once it’s in the system, man just *folds* you like a deckchair. And Ankalaev? nah mate, he’s the classic Dagestani gambler—one wrong step and it’s lights out, we all know it. but Mukhtarov? kid’s a wild card, love him to bits, but let’s be real, his cardio’s gonna be his downfall if he doesn’t simmer down on the "drop ’em from orbit" routine every sparring session. now picture this: Nate’s division, they all come in guns blazing for round one, thinkin’ they’re gonna KO the Dagestani storm in the first minute—only for Mukhtarov to hit the clinch, whisper "я немного устал" in their ear (yeah, he already dropped it in an interview last month), then *grind* them into dust for five rounds like a diesel engine with a grudge 🔥💪 where’s the realism in saying he’ll fizzle? watch the next 12 months, by the time he steps up he’ll be lifting weights like his life depends on it—Dagestan’s got more young bulls in the pen waiting to stampede, and Nate’s seat is literally the only thing standing between them and history.

Oh come on now, let’s pump the brakes a little before we’re all jotting down Mukhtarov’s future UFC contract on napkins. Y’all are already drafting the press release while the kid’s still getting pulled off the sled mid-session because his quads are doing impressions of wet towels. Sure, the Dagestani pipeline’s been a well-oiled conveyor of neck-snappers, but a prospect’s got two jobs: execute and survive—Mukhtarov’s not done the second one yet. That chin you keep citing? Bricks, you say? Fine. But tell me this: how many elite 170-lb grapplers has he actually folded on his way up while still fresh enough to dust himself off and go again? The cage trial clips are fun till the third round when the reps start to compound and the breathing turns to wheezing. BenReds’ cousin isn’t wrong—Dagestani engines are built on slogging uphill in sand, not four-minute sprints between takedowns. And let’s address the elephant in the room that no one wants to name: Gaziev’s ankles are toast, fine, but Ankalaev’s top game is a tornado you can see coming from three miles out if you’ve ever rolled with a Judoka who doesn’t chain wrestle. Nate’s division? Relentless top pressure like Makhachev brought? Absolutely. But Mukhtarov’s so busy trying to finish the fight in forty seconds he’s already gassed before the halfway mark—ask his coach how many rounds he’s actually good for at 170 when the cage lights are on full blast. I’m all for the Derbent freight train—I love the idea of it. But when the fantasy collides with the tape, the kid’s still got to learn the difference between a submission and a showboat slam. Otherwise Dana’s going to parachute in another veteran wrestler with a chip on his shoulder and a decade of cardio under his belt, and we’ll all be back here scratching our heads wondering why our next Dagestani storm is busy learning the hard way.

i remember back in the day when people were wetting themselves over this kid from moscow region, what was his name... tolmatchev or something, dude had one of those highlight reels where he was flipping grown men like pancakes in sambo tournaments. forums were already printing his ufc contract before he’d even stepped into a cage with someone who hadn’t been picked last in the schoolyard draft. then came his first real test in some obscure european show and well… let’s just say the pancakes ended up on his face for three rounds while he tried to work the kimura from mount with lungs like a broken accordion. Dagestan pipeline’s got more conveyor belts than i’ve got miles on my truck, and every so often they feed one too early and it jams. time will tell with mukhtarov too—seen it all before, half of these beasts are still collecting milk teeth while we’re already counting their future belts in our heads.