There is a running joke in the MMA community that having an opponent with a last name ending in -ov and a chin strap is a recipe for doom.
This stems from the fact that many high-profile competitors from Islamic regions of Russia are excelling in the UFC.
When a guy has an Arabic name that has been changed to a Soviet-style name ending in -ov or -ev and shaves his mustache, there is a 95% chance that he will defeat you.
This meme has multiple iterations, and for a good reason. The level of wrestling you can achieve by going up against opponents who possess a similar skill set and maintain an athletic lifestyle is beyond what most contemporary males from Western cultures can accomplish.
One gentleman had to learn this lesson the hard way. He picked on an immigrant from Dagestan, assuming that he was an easy target.
However, he was proven wrong, and by a significant margin. The man attempted to shoot on the Dagestani early on, but his attempt was thwarted by a mini sprawl and collar control. The Dagestani grabbed onto his lapel and easily redirected his takedown efforts outside of his frame while landing significant headshots on his opponent.
Despite this setback, the man refused to give up and kept charging at the Dagestani. At this point, the Dagestani had him in a headlock variation, making it considerably more challenging to execute any offensive moves.
Ultimately, the two ended up on the ground with the man still headlocked. The Dagestani was torn between working the submission and sweeping but ultimately decided to go for the submission and secured the tap.
Fortunately, the exchange was friendly, and a tap was all it took to break it up, once again confirming that you should never pick on a man with a cauliflower ear.
Since 2014, Benny A. King has been fully immersed in the world of combat sports. Starting with a blog about Greco Roman wrestling, Benny’s passion for combat sports has led him to explore various disciplines.