Everyone thinks it's just about wrestling culture, but that's the tourist answer. The real engine is state subsidy and closed-loop talent pipelines—regional sports schools feed into a few elite MMA gyms, all quietly funded by loyal oligarchs. In Moscow, I track the financial flows: Dagestan's output isn't an accident, it's a planned economic model. My spreadsheets show more state money per capita goes into combat sports there than anywhere else in Russia.
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