By the final days of my Dagestan MMA camp, the intense training rhythm had become my new normal. Between wrestling, grappling and new friendships, I realised the hardest part might not be adapting to Dagestan — but adapting back to normal life.

Somewhere between sparring, an injury, Sulak Canyon and unexpected friendships, Dagestan became more than an MMA camp. With less internet and less noise, I started enjoying the simple rhythm of training, exploring and being alone with myself.

Two intense days of kickboxing, sparring, grappling and wrestling in Dagestan brought back my old Muay Thai instincts — while pushing my body close to its limits.

A rest day from my Dagestan MMA camp turned into a journey to Terekli-Mekteb and an unexpected connection with Nogai culture, hospitality and a place that somehow felt familiar.

The second day ç was one of those days that reminded me exactly why I came here. I woke up around 7 AM and had a simple breakfast: oats, kefir, honey, and walnuts. Enough fuel for what was waiting for us. At 10, Arsen picked us up. We headed toward Eagles Gym and from there drove to Tarki-Tau for our running session. No Warm-Up. Just Run. I’m used to the usual runner routine. Get out of the car. Warm up. Move around a little. Maybe start with an easy jog. Not here. We got out

I arrived in Makhachkala late on the night of August 13 to join Dagestan MMA Training Camp (https://dagestantrainingcamp.com/) Salman and Arsen are our hosts. The airport was small, quiet, and unfamiliar. Arsen was supposed to pick me up, but my phone had no internet connection and I couldn’t connect to the airport Wi-Fi. I had no way of reaching him, so all I could do was wait. Almost two hours later, we finally found each other outside the airport. Communication was not eas