The Republic of Dagestan ( /dɑːɡɨˈstɑːn/ or /dæɡɨˈstæn/; Russian: Респу́блика Дагеста́н, Respublika Dagestan; also spelled Daghestan) is a federal subject (a republic) of Russia, located in the North Caucasus region. Its capital and the largest city is Makhachkala, located at the center of Dagestan on the Caspian Sea. Population: 2,910,249 (2010 Census).

Dagestan is ethnically very diverse, with several dozen ethnic groups and subgroups inhabiting the republic, most of which speak either Caucasian, Turkic, or Iranian languages. Largest among these ethnic groups are the Avar, Dargin, Kumyk, Azeri, Lezgin, and Laks. While Russians form only a small proportion (3.6%) of the population, Russian remains the primary official language and the lingua franca among the ethnic groups.

Dagestan has been a scene of low-level Islamic insurgency, occasional outbreaks of separatism, ethnic tensions and terrorism since the 1990s. According to International Crisis Group, the militant Islamist organization Shariat Jamaat is responsible for much of the violence. Much of the tension is rooted in an internal Islamic conflict between traditional Sufi groups advocating secular government and more recently introduced Salafist teachers preaching the implementation of Sharia law in Dagestan.

Khabib Abdulmanapovich Nurmagomedov (Russian: Хабиб Абдулманапович Нурмагомедов, born September 20, 1988) is a Russian mixed martial artist currently fighting in the lightweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

He made his professional MMA debut in September 2008 and, over the next 3 years, amassed an undefeated record of 16-0.

Nurmagomedov recently relocated to New Jersey. He trains at KDojo MMA in Fairfield, NJ under Murat Keshtov alongside fellow UFC fighters like Azamat Gashimov, Strikeforce fighter Adlan Amagov, Bellator fighter Vyacheslav Vasilevsky, ADCC North America Champion Rustam Chsiev, as well as top female grappler Brigitte Narcise.

Nurmagomedov recently signed a six-fight deal to compete in the UFC’s lightweight division.

In his UFC debut, Nurmagomedov faced Kamal Shalorus on January 20, 2012 at UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller. He won the fight via submission in the third round.

Nurmagomedov is expected to face Gleison Tibau on July 7, 2012 at UFC 148.

Sambo

Army hand-to-hand fight