Anthony Hunter’s week-long trip to Dagestan wasn’t a sightseeing vacation or a typical martial arts getaway.

Booked through MK Wrestling, Hunter stayed in an athlete hotel in Makhachkala and trained inside the very gyms where Dagestan’s greats sharpen their skills.
Unlike most international training camps packed with tourists, Hunter found himself completely surrounded by locals:

I was only training with Dagastanis. There was not a single foreigner there whilst I was there.

Getting into Dagestan was not as simple as booking a flight either:

You can’t enter Dagestan alone. It’s not Thailand where you just book a flight.

Entry typically requires an invitation through a reputable coach or gym to reassure authorities that visitors understand local customs and won’t disrupt the training environment.

A key figure in Hunter’s experience was his guide Murat — a master of sports and head wrestling coach — who acted as his bridge into Dagestani culture:

When I came there, especially with a camera as well, they know they could trust me.
Everybody was extremely respectful to my skill level in wrestling.

Life outside the gym was simple and affordable.

Hunter visited local cafes and restaurants, including Khabib Nurmagomedov’s well-known Papaha restaurant, where meals cost a fraction of Western prices.
Dinner ran about €20, breakfast around €3.

The total cost of his trip included roughly €800 for flights from Europe and €75 per night for accommodation and training, with food on top.

By the end of the week, the experience left a deep impression on Hunter:

It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
It was something that I had never ever experienced before.

You need to plan it for a couple of months. It’s not something that you book in the spur of a moment.

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