Khabib Nurmagomedov's Retirement Hasn't Slowed Down Russian Dominance over UFC

When Khabib Nurmagomedov announced his retirement from mixed martial arts in November 2020, in what seemed to be the prime of his fighting life, it felt like the end of something. He had been so dominant for so long, almost single-handedly putting Russia's rugged Republic of Dagestan on the MMA map along the way, and suddenly, only moments after he strangled Justin Gaethje unconscious to improve to a staggering 29-0 overall, it was all over. 

Just one year later, Nurmagomedov's retirement looks less like the end of something and more like the flashpoint for an era of dominance for fighters from Dagestan, its surrounding republics and oblasts, and larger Russia.

The signs couldn't be any clearer after UFC 267, which went down last Saturday in the heat of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. 

In the fourth of six main card fights, Dagestan's Islam Makhachev picked up a first-round submission victory over New Zealand's Dan Hooker, who has proved himself to be one of the grittiest fighters in the lightweight division. The win pushed Makhachev, who happens to be a close friend and training partner of Nurmagomedov, to an incredible 21-1 overall. It also cemented his status as one of the top contenders for for a shot at the lightweight title Nurmagomedov once wore. 

The 30-year-old wasted no time in calling for that opportunity post-fight. 

"Next fight, it has to be for the title, or a contender fight, because I have a nine-fight winning streak," Makhachev said at the UFC 267 post-fight press conference. "Who in my division have this? Just the champion [Charles Oliveira]. 

"And I feel my division is a little bit asleep right now," he added, putting his rivals on notice in a way Nurmagomedov once might have. "I have to wake up my division, because we have to change some things. The old guys from the top five, they've already fought for the title: [Michael] Chandler, [Justin] Gaethje. That's why we have to change something."

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It remains to be seen if Makhachev gets his desired title shot, but he's very close to getting his hands on his division's ultimate prize.

The same can be said of Khamzat Chimaev, a native of Russia's Chechen Republic, which borders Dagestan. The 27-year-old extended his record to 10-0 with a first-round submission win—the product of a rear-naked choke—over China's Li Jingliang on the UFC 267 main card. 

Chimaev, though relatively inexperienced, has long drawn comparisons to Nurmagomedov and, despite their brief and supposedly overblown feud, has made it clear that he has immense respect for the retired legend.

After Chimaev's win over Jingliang, many believe he's primed for a Nurmagomedov-esque reign as a UFC champion, but he already considers himself the welterweight division's uncrowned king.

"I am coming for everybody," Chimaev said in his post-fight interview. "I kill everybody. I am the champ."

Makhachev and Chimaev's UFC 267 wins prove that Nurmagomedov's retirement was not the end of Russia's time in the MMA limelight, but rather the beginning of it—and that's without even mentioning new interim bantamweight champion Petr Yan, heavyweight contender Alexander Volkov, or light heavyweight contender Magomed Ankalaev, who also won in Abu Dhabi.

While none of them are closely affiliated with or regularly compared to Nurmagomedov, all three carry the Russian flag when they make their walks to the Octagon. Then there's Tagir Ulanbekov and Zubaira Tukhugov, a pair of rising Nurmagomedov students, both of whom won on Saturday's undercard.

All of the above seem to recognize their role in continuing Nurmagomedov's incredible legacy—none more clearly, perhaps, than Makhachev, who now calls the unbeaten legend a head coach. 

Makhachev doesn't just relish comparisons to Nurmagomedov, but he also strives to cultivate them as he continues his march toward the lightweight title. 

"I want to be next Khabib," he told BT Sport ahead of his victory over Hooker. "I want to be like Khabib. Honestly, I want to smash all my opponents like Khabib, too.

"If somebody say, 'You fight like Khabib' or 'You gonna be like Khabib,' I want to be."