Why Dagestan fighters are so good | Travis Stevens and Lex Fridman

Lex Fridman Podcast full episode: • Travis Stevens: Judo, ...
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GUEST BIO:
Travis Stevens is the 2016 Olympic Judo silver medalist and BJJ black belt.
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[@persianguy1524]

Tough environment, conservative society, traditionalism, discipline and being a warrior like society produces some tough fighters. Same in chechnya too.

[@Cheesusrice69222]

Ossetia

[@Chris-vr8cd]

must be tough being a failed dagestani fighter, I wonder who's the worst fighter out of dagestan

[@AM-ry8is]

@@Chris-vr8cd hasbulla

[@KD400_]

That's literally correct if u put wrestling in any community that have a hunger they will perform the same as dagestan its just that dagestan have alot of motivation to succeed and they work extremely hard

[@nottodaybucko]

@@Chris-vr8cd for every amazing dagestani fighter we know of there are definitely 10x as many we’ve never heard of, though that’s applicable across the board

[@thhthtrht]

Dagestan is one of the best things to happen to modern MMA. Simply put, they excel because they have a greater hunger for greatness and a community to enable them to do so.

[@sweeterscience83]

Nurture AND nature in Dagestan. They have different genetics and a culture that breeds combat warriors.

[@prithvib8662]

@@sweeterscience83 yep. They naturally have better endurance since they grow up in a high altitude environment, and they utilize that extremely well given their rugged training. They're modern day Spartans.

[@nottodaybucko]

not just that, they have a history of wrestling and combat sports ingrained in their culture, and not many other options for upward mobility in the region

[@joestar3335]

@@buridah328 I'd say grappling over wrestling imo

[@chiguy3514]

I think you are spot on and especially now with role models like khabib I think we will start seeing a generation of elite MMA fighters come out of the region

[@mmayan]

Please invite Khabib for one of the 3+ hour podcasts. Do it in Russian, but take your time with the English subtitle to make sure we have captured the poetic wisdom that Khabib spits in Russian.

[@kallepikku4991]

YES PLEEEEEASE ! ! !

[@zaid_nt7092]

Wow

[@alexander_dimitrov]

Lex Fridman is russian, but he fluent in Русский?

[@ucevrim]

imagina. lex having khabib as a guest speaking russian.

[@dr.binjohnson7776]

Would be incredible

[@lbarudi]

hell yeah

[@mattmcgill99]

I wouldn’t understand a word! Lol

[@abduragimshtanchaev3731]

Make one with Kabib! Better way to answer all the questions

[@wentzr]

dude. who is talking ?! your voices sound almost identical ;)

[@viktormuerte]

I thought it was just me!

[@wentzr]

@@Spawn303 right.. but i mean close your eyes and try to track who is speaking. Travis and Lex's voices and intonation are nearly indistinguishable from one other

[@grumpyae86]

Travis and Lex are identical twins separated at birth. One went to become a judoka silver medallist and the other went to become an AI specialist. Both love grappling, it’s no coincidence 😂

[@spartacus1308]

100% it’s impossible to just listen to this one

[@nickpricey8689]

Lex series can you try and interview a Russian cosmonaut. Just love to here. What there take is on the universe if they have any stories as they would not be under NASA.

[@christianmoses2555]

Agreed!!! Lex please!

[@SeanzatChimalley_MMA]

Why? The answer is very simple, brothar… They born from crazy mountains.

[@shanemartin4333]

Khabib has a black belt in Judo. His Dad was a Master Judoka, he stutided and thought in Ukraine.

[@maratazizov7272]

wrong! khabib does not have black belt in JUDO!

[@JustLion890]

Only his father are black belt judo

[@ajmjl9102]

Nah khabibs dad has a black belt and so does Islam I think your confusing Islam with khabib

[@kallepikku4991]

I could listen to Travis Stevens talk judo wrestling all day. Dude has so much knowledge outside the U.S.

[@patricklandond1]

Like how he framed that, anticipating the goal, like you've done the work, you know you are the best and you feel it coming... great tip from high level athlete

[@BrickBreaker21]

Judo is amazing, as it involves a little of everything. And it is probably the most practical martial art in the real world.

[@nonewsisgoodnews9124]

I'd put boxing first but Judo is definitely sweet.

[@huraira448]

boxing + judo and a little bit of muay thai = killer machine

[@3omar3aysha]

Judo isn't a martial art.

[@billcipher3946]

@@3omar3aysha Judo is a martial art

[@billcipher3946]

@@huraira448 Valentina Shevchenko is a Muay Thai fighter & has a judo black belt also has good boxing.

[@psd993]

People like to stitch grand narratives together, but regions of the world have, at different points in time, inexplicably produced these invincible atheletes. But it never lasts for more than a couple of decades typically. It's just a combination of environmental factors and the snowball effect of successful atheletes making the sport more famous and bringing in more govt funding and/or attracting more talent.

[@jessereeves3120]

Gtfoh with your unsensational, reasonable comment

[@Jake-bt3fc]

Genetics is a big deal. There is a reason people that excel in swimming don't in excel in sprinting. Sprinters need dense bones, muscles, and ligaments, but that makes you less buoyant in the water so the thing that gives you an advantage on land gives you a disadvantage in the water. Culture is also _huuuuuge_ The amount of hard work somebody is willing to put in is massively dependant on culture. Neither of these things change significantly in a couple of decades.

[@psd993]

@@Jake-bt3fc and india was invincible at hockey until it wasn't. Brazil - football, carribean - cricket. Olympic Wrestling and russia. Etc..

[@nithulnath9331]

@@psd993 You are absolutely right about everything you said.

[@brewcity2317]

Great convo. 👍

[@davidlakhter]

5:25 you got to live the lifestyle you want to achieve and the success will follow

[@AlexA-tx3ql]

Great video travis is a great interview

[@Danishali-le5mw]

More than anything khabib, and ppl of Dagestan faith is strong. They indebt everything to Lord, and get everything in return. They have spiritual power over physicality. Land of warriors.

[@benbudin]

I don't know about that. Obviously they don't have the same temptation lets say like parties and everything involve with that. Another thing is the hunger. Dagestan is really poor and combat sports are a way out of poverty. Also is a very volatile region armed conflict is never far off so the common man is readily for war.

[@randomfighter2249]

@@benbudin facts

[@aesthete1618]

🤣

[@zenebusman8575]

Absolutely 💯

[@claytontucker8179]

“The beginning determines, the ending” you either understand or you don’t.

[@labeckipiotrek]

I would not like to fight with this guy.He is so calm;)

[@chrisd997]

great comment!

[@tompaye3110]

Great clip

[@tomydurazno6243]

Lex talks about computer science and combat sports, 2 of my favorite things in life

[@zeemo7751]

Lex can you get zabit or gusein magamaev from the 5 directions if the world school..my god that would be epic an so interesting.. a real life league of shadows.

[@awaisjamil9956]

To say they dont undestand anything else is also a statement from ignorance - just because thats all you know about them, dosnt mean thats all they know. For example, they know farming, religion, horse back riding, etc. Taking Khabib for example, at a young age he was home schooled where one thing he learned as a child from his father was about countries around the world and their individual cultures (for those that understand, this isnt a small thing). He also clearly knows enough about religion to carry himself with dignity, character, and moral uprightness, which are all things most people learn. So to say all they know is combat sports dosnt mean thats all they know, that just means thats all you know about them.

[@zenebusman8575]

Agreed 👍

[@chapter2202]

Lex have a interview with Cornell West. It be fantastic to listen to each of your points of views on history.

[@MadDannyWest]

"It's not a goal, it's an anticipation."

[@hasanicoward4425]

Some people don't know Judo and Wrestling is how Sambo was developed but they look at Judo as being a great sport and speak highly of Judo

[@aymanelhattache6125]

Kickboxing in the Netherlands the same ;)

[@butaleo]

Their voices are so similar😁

[@missewe]

3:02 my dumbass answered "cus of the cauliflower ear". I'm not wrong either.

[@Skw1813]

The Dagestanis remind me of what the Gracies did in the 90’s. Revolutionizing the fight game, by introducing an OP fighting style that only they know. They are going to dominate up until someone figures out how to negate the way that they fight. The puzzle hasn’t been solved yet. Kron Gracie would have been a dominant force in the 90’s. Fast forward to today where basically everyone knows BJJ and how to counter. Not as impressive in a modern MMA standard. Never been to Dagestan but imagine the environment plays a role as well. Tough places breed tough people. Sure for many of them combat sports is the only way out as well.

[@angelsjoker8190]

Yeah, similiar to Danaher's leg log game in BJJ. His students were years ahead. It will be interesting how the fights will look like when other fighter start to be able to cancel the Dagestan wrestling approach. I guess it takes about 5-10 years from the first appearance of a new dominant style for the rest of the world to figure out how to negate it and make the playing field more even again.

[@socialimpact2094]

Two factors give Dagestani and Chechen fighters an edge: their mountainous upbringing and cultural emphasis on wrestling. Altitude advantage: Born and raised in high-altitude towns with thin air, these fighters develop superior lung capacity and blood circulation. When they compete in lower altitudes, the increased oxygen intake acts like a natural "supercharge," boosting their athletic performance. Imagine their bodies like high-performance car engines optimized for low-oxygen environments; dropping down to sea level unleashes their full potential. Wrestled in their genes: Competitive wrestling is deeply ingrained in the culture of these regions. Lacking readily available sports facilities like soccer fields, children often turn to wrestling, creating a rich pool of talent. Skilled wrestlers become local heroes, inspiring the next generation and further solidifying wrestling's dominance. This constant training and competition hone their skills and fighting spirit from a young age.

[@wallstreetoneil]

It's like boxing was in the 1950-80s in America - it was a way out of poverty. Go back and watch some of those fights and you will see insanity. I was watching some modern-day crap fighting thing on TV and my lady came in and watched a little and said it wasn't very good. I went to KZbin and put on the Hagler Hearns fight for her and she was blown away. When you see a real fight, between 2 warriors, the difference is shocking.

[@Jiujitsureview]

I can’t listen to this without the video because I can’t distinguish who is freaking talking!

[@jaimedell7205]

We were born all in a culture A petri dish we were bread for reasons that don't involve us as individuals

[@adelinaquijano1083]

respect my team .

[@m_js5709]

This is the first time I've ever heard someone pronounce the first syllable of Dagestan properly with a throaty tone "Dhaag" but then pronounce the last syllable improperly, like the name Stan. Lol. Usually an English speaker just gets it fully wrong (not there fault if they didn't know) with "Dag" like "nag" and then "is-tan" or if they learned the right way they say "Dhaag" "is-thaan" the way it should. But getting the 1st syllable right but the 2nd in the typical wrong way is a trip to hear.

[@Naksu..]

Lex you answered all your question 😂

[@jamesbennett3791]

If this podcast doesn’t send you to sleep then nothing will.

[@ALLTimeGamerTroll]

Yup

[@shark4sk]

😂😂😂

[@dawaterpolodad4662]

Water Polo, two players of Water Polo is always love each other later in life.

[@johnsheetz6639]

Was it Tommy hearns that says it's hard to wake up and run 5miles when you're sleeping on silk?

[@tommyrq180]

Dagestan is a harsh, remote, mean, brutal region and the brutality translates well to combative sports. The Trans-Caucasian sphere (don’t forget Iran) is a combative sports hotbed.

[@0xBerto]

4:25 Gordon Ryan ?

[@phatshah7377]

If you close your eyes, it sounds like lex is doing a monologue

[@narcocrimewelt3585]

dagestan and tschetschens trains their kids since generetaions at wrestling since their kids this it the answer

[@kameniliev8607]

Interesting how both guys voices sound the same. You can't distinguish when speaks one or the other.

[@nathandust]

I just watched a Dagestan fighter get KTFO last night. It was incredibly entertaining.

[@muslimmakhachev3746]

We come from crazy mountain

[@villiamvankekem3693]

Motorsports and rugby😉

[@dru4670]

Rugby

[@villiamvankekem3693]

@@dru4670 never seen racing drivers talk?

[@jonnies]

@@villiamvankekem3693 yeah I have, and fell asleep. An F1 drivers press conference is a great cure for insomnia.

[@villiamvankekem3693]

@@jonnies I'm talking about driver to driver. Not driver to press. Hint: I do track days every two weeks.😎

[@Venyche]

Lex I need the new merryweather number

[@claudebaron9334]

Sorry but when I read a title like that ! ‘’ he knows why Dagestan has awesome fighters !! ‘’ like he just discovered the whole big bang !?….. they all cames from a freaking hard place to lives, You don’t fight there because you like it ! you simply don’t have the choice, soon as they walk the start learning that they will have to fights for everything’s for their whole life’s, it’s fight to eat or be eats. Since birth they have everything set at the level extra hard ! They earned everything they gets now ! 👍

[@ssaju]

Lex and Khabib has to happen eventually.

[@mmadmbjm]

Lex Fridman is not human.

[@bronsondeliac2625]

These two guys sound exactly the same vocally. Exactly same voice 😄🤔

[@joemama4473]

Guy on right can be a older brother, dude looks dagestiani AF on the right, harry, blair hair, light skin, thick boned and muscles.

[@davealaya]

Lex, here's a new one. Get drummer Vinnie Colaiuta on. He's a tier above most living musicians, and he rarely does interviews. Would be an eloquent interaction I'm sure!

[@jumpingchulla]

Another good musician would be Klaus Shulze! en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_Schulze

[@aziztherealone441]

Wow this is the first time I see a video on this channel that is not intellectual… The guest this time is a man of few words

[@michaelfoley1966]

“I happen to be able to speak Russian” 😂

[@ars7714]

Not just Dagestan. Its North Caucasus Region (Dagestan, Chechnya, Ossetien usw.), Russia´s Republics

[@beekmixes]

Khabibs late father Abdulmanap is to be given credit as well.

[@ken244]

technique makes the fighter.

[@tarsazar4577]

This is the policy of Russia, to direct the passionate character of the highlanders of the North Caucasus into sports, so that there would be no new war, that's all

[@dellwright1407]

Its also a Caucus thing to train the kids in martial arts and stop the kids becoming jihadi's

[@AliDixon95]

The whole anticipation is a bit BS, it's called confidence mate: you could have easily still been beaten

[@tinman55]

You can tell as soon as you see them because they have cauliflower ears!

[@gregwong2132]

They were born with cauliflower ears

[@merkins87]

& no necks

[@voiceofreason2674]

I want to know if khabib is rich and powerful enough to not be subject to any sort of the local war lord grift that exists in Dagestan. Does he have to kick up safety money cuz of threatened violence against his family ?

[@dellwright1407]

He's a national hero in Dagestan... not to mention had tea with Putin. You'd have to be a pretty stupid warlord to take him hostage. I think even Canelo is protected from the Mexican cartels as they want him to do well and make Mexico proud.

[@pricenaseen]

Wrestling is huge in all Turkic states and also in the Arabic and Greek world

[@caucasianwolf8072]

Dagestan is not Turkic

[@canigetasubforgoodcomment6054]

@@caucasianwolf8072 it's influenced

[@peytonlucy5947]

Ok, you can accepted that you are winning but the guy who actually won the gold medal also accepted that he was winning.

[@pedrorivera8255]

Just watch The Dagestani Chronicles. Khabib:"Before I go to school I was running. Then I sprint up that hill for 20minutes after that I go back home weightlifting and wrestling drills. Then I go to school." Western kids what they do before going to school they watch TikTok Videos!!!

[@iorilamia]

What about southern kids?

[@gmeister3022]

Khabib is not special. He's not even that talented compared to most fighters in the UFC. What he has more than everything is discipline. He started training as a kid and took every opportunity to fight. More importantly, he has no distractions - he focuses only on training and praying. He didn't need to hold a job and he didn't worry about partying. If anyone trained as much and as hard as he did, they'd be world champions too.

[@cheegum6296]

When you grow up on elevation your body gets used to minimal oxygen. You're always either going down or up which gives you amazing balance and a full body workout just living there. Life in the hills is very unforgiving so you grow up supremely disciplined. Add to that the culture of extreme respect for elders and teachers. Then you have religion that forbids you from drinking gambling etc. When mountain dwellers go down to sea level they are literally gods to us mortal hoomans. You might have heard of another mountain where gods used to live. Romans and Greeks used to call all their important people son of god. Ironically not soon after God who made this entire universe of which we can only observe 93 billion light years sends his only son here. Then six hundred years later same god told us to go circle a rock in what is today Saud's Arabia which is not at all a $12 BN business for the Saud family.

[@salmelchiore1542]

Dagestan is the new age Sparta.

[@bill7282]

@@djzacmaniac LOL

[@SerafRhayn]

@@buridah328 no no, he’s got a point

[@saadalikhan3031]

Love Lex. But just annoying when he answers his own questions and interrupts the interviewee. I mean, perhaps let the expert answer the freaking question

[@tanegurnick5071]

U ain't played rugby yet bro

[@theunknownguy265]

Alhamdulillah 29-0

[@hipqban169]

..bc there’s nothing else going on over there. Fight or herd sheep.

[@user-tz1no1kv6u]

Does Lex Fridman fight well? I think he can be top fighter in any organizationn in Korea.

[@flingflang69]

How can you ask if he fights well and then suggest he can be a top fighter? You silly goose, you.

[@adelinaquijano1083]

too much trial

[@lolzcaption]

Don’t they love Judo because of Putin?

[@stealthmode1303]

We're all gonna act like those Dagestani fighters don't use PEDs ? Cmon.

[@olbaprabocse9940]

Technique technique technique plus years of training. Nothing to do with PEDs

[@stealthmode1303]

@@olbaprabocse9940 how many members of Khabibs team alone have failed drug testing ? Answer that one for me. They're very talented technically but you're being bias if you don't acknowledge the facts.

[@aesthete1618]

Yeah people are delusional and in denial. They use PEDs for sure

[@danielbarbas8978]

Because Russia promotes the use of peds.. the government would put a lid on it and would find the best ways to go undetected until they got exposed and got banned from the Olympics... why do you think all of a sudden the best boxers or mma fighters are coming out of Russia, it was uncommon but in the last 15 years they have produced top athletes

[@olbaprabocse9940]

Well mayne 15 years ago mma wasnt as big.. Russia and those regions focused purely on wrestling only (hence most medals) growth of mma has opened avenues

[@ken244]

the worst thing in any sport/art is politics

[@vt2788]

Noooo Travis...please don't talk about genetics..! Having ever wrestled doesn't mean that you will sire more children than others. You could even argue that it would be less than average, because you may have experienced a lot of trauma to your testes. This is probably wrong however, because being a good judoka may have to do with overall fitness, which may correlate with fertility. It also isn't clear what traits make a good judoka. It is all cultural.

[@theunknownguy265]

Alhamdulillah inshallah islam makhachev is going to be the champion of the world inshallah alhamdulillah Alhamdulillah alhamdulillah inshallah alhamdulillah Alhamdulillah alhamdulillah

[@manawa3832]

For the 1000000000000th time. Dagestan people are not Russian. This is some lame stolen valor attempt by either Russians or Europeans who believe they can have some of their valor through their proximity to Russia. Dagestan are closer to Iranian Turkic people. They originate from the Middle East in ancient times. They are Muslim since most of their history shaping their way of life.

[@amishhackerlul3731]

Inbreeding?

[@danielbarbas8978]

Peds

[@frankiecal3186]

Why is everyone not saying the obvious. Steroids and inbreeding.😒

[@MontyQueues]

because most fighters rather punch than grapple with men, they really enjoy grappling with men... and only men LOL

[@GTari-ob6bj]

just look up how old wrestling is mate, it's a tradition in some regions and people start wrestling before having a libido or attraction to human beings. only a creep will say such a statement, and why would a man wrestle a woman? nothing to gain for him. it's like wrestling a very weaker and lighter man, pointless.

[@gpenna1072]

There’s Khabib…settle down.

[@CoolAdam247]

You're a casual. Settle down.

[@chrismatthewnielsen2903]

Look at this last Olympics lol. How many olds did they win in wresting? Even the Bulgarian who won gold trains and live there

[@eamonshields2754]

You must not watch MMA if you think “there’s only Khabib”

[@bill7282]

A good portion of the very promising up and coming fighters are from the Caucasus. As far as combat sports go they are well represented in most of them, especially grappling.

[@majidhussain3896]

Islam is the truth. Read the Qur'an

[@AmericanTLBN]

Allahu Akbar

[@zenebusman8575]

True

[@el5880]

Every time I watch one of Lex’s clips I’m amazed by how overhyped this dude is.