The year was 2016 and Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov was holding a training session in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan. Khabib Nurmagomedov was still two years away from winning gold, but the traction was starting to build. Something special was being crafted. The skill level in the Russian training room was elevated slightly each day, under Abdulmanap’s direction. In that room stood a recent UFC debutant, Islam Makhachev , fresh off a bounce-back win over Chris Wade. Soon-to-be professional debutants, brothers Usman and Umar Nurmagomedov also were among the pack
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