Islam Makhachev has been the poster boy of Dagestani wrestling since Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from the sport. It’s also another fact that he won the Russian National Combat Sambo Championship in 2014. So, when Daniel Cormier once said his son, who’s also training in wrestling, would go to Dagestan, the soon-to-be former lightweight champ gave birth to the phrase, “Send your kid two, three years in Dagestan and forget,” which became a meme in the MMA world.

This iconic phrase has motivated numerous fighters to journey to the Dagestani mountains at least once to experience the rigorous discipline practiced by the athletes there. Olympic wrestler Gable Steveson has announced he’s on his way to assist a fellow two-time Russian Olympic champion ahead of the upcoming competition.

Gable Steveson reveals going to Dagestan to train with Abdulrashid Sadulaev

Gable Steveson recently graced the Dirty Boxing 2 event. He was watching the action ringside with Jon Jones and enjoyed seeing former UFC fighters like Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Alex Caceres throw down. There, the WWE star also interacted with the media and revealed that he’d be going to Dagestan for the first time to train with Sadulaev. And also gave a solid shout-out to Islam Makhachev.

Steveson tolf Home of Fight, “There’s a guy named Abdulrashid Sadulaev. He’s a 97-kilogram two-time Olympic champion. He reached out to me. He reached out about me to come on to Dagestan and help him train for this year’s world championship. So maybe I’ll be in Dagestan. They’re gonna send me to Dagestan for two-three weeks and forget. But you can’t send somebody Dagestani for two to three weeks, who already knows how to wrestle.”

That’s really turning into an impressive partnership between two top Olympic wrestlers. Abdulrashid Sadulaev, known for his impressive skills, has recently been spotted training with Khamzat Chimaev as they gear up for UFC 319, where Chimaev will face Dricus du Plessis. Conversely, it’s widely recognized that Gable envisions himself making a move to the UFC in the future. For the moment, he thinks it will occur only when the timing aligns perfectly.

Steveson is waiting for the right time to put on the UFC gloves

Gable Steveson is definitely a highly accomplished freestyle wrestler. But he’s always had that curiosity to try out different martial arts disciplines. He’s set to face Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master Craig Jones at the CJ Invitational on August 31, and also revealed on Mike Perry’s OverDogs podcast that he’s been dying to put on the UFC gloves and step inside the cage.

But, the Olympian believes he has to be around the right training and take some time to get himself prepared for the potential foray into MMA. Continuing his Home of Fight interview, Gable said, “I’m very interested in it. But, you know, you wanna take your time and have the right training. You wanna have the right path to get where you need to go. That’s what I’m focused on right now. Making sure to put all the buttons in the right place. When it’s time to go, we’re gonna go with full force and run with it.”

That’s a correct assessment. Gable is only 25 years old and has a very bright future ahead of him. He already knows how to wrestle, but to optimally perform in MMA, the Olympian wrestler has to master other forms like Jiu-Jitsu, and especially striking, before even considering entering the Octagon. And that would take a considerable amount of time.

However, he has already eyed Tom Aspinall and Alexander Volkov as potential UFC competitors. But do you see Gable taking on the heavyweight giants in the future? Please comment below.