The sun was shining in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Brighton Beach on Feb. 10, but let’s not mince words. It was cold, the streets were covered in ice from a snowstorm the night before, and it was midday on the last workday of the week. In other words, the kind of day where you don’t want to navigate the streets of a busy borough.

Fans of lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov did. Far from the theater where the UFC 208 weigh-ins would be held later that afternoon, they packed the National Restaurant & Night Club for a Q&A with the Dagestan native and then mobbed him for pictures and autographs when the session was done. It was a reaction you don’t see too often, if at all.

But to Nurmagomedov’s longtime buddy Rizvan Magomedov, it was no surprise at all.

“Being next to Khabib for many years, traveling together, I can say that he has fans all over the world,” said Magomedov, the manager of several Russian fighters, as well as a translator and friend to others. “They are people who are always ready to help or support in any matter, and the Brooklyn Q&A is proof, when the day after the storm, in the middle of a workday, the place was packed with fans. Fans are loyal to him, and he is loyal to them; it’s very simple.”

Follow @UFCRussia on @Twitter & @Instagram for BTS of #UFC209! pic.twitter.com/DyTicysw6j

— UFC Russia (@UFCRussia) February 21, 2017

On Mar. 4, the 24-0 Nurmagomedov gets his first crack at UFC gold when he faces Tony Ferguson for the interim UFC lightweight title in the co-main event of UFC 209 in Vegas. If he wins, he will become Russia’s first UFC champion, cementing the nation as an MMA powerhouse more than 23 years after the first bout in the Octagon in 1993. And given his journey to this point, it’s appropriate that “The Eagle” will be the one to spearhead this movement.

“When Khabib signed with UFC, he got on to the radar of all Russian MMA fans,” Magomedov said. “And getting one victory after another in his dominant manner of fighting, his fan base increased to millions. And now he is one step away from achieving his dream, and apparently the dream of all his fans, to bring the first UFC belt to Russia.”

That the possibility of a UFC champion from Russia has taken this long is baffling, given the elite caliber of athletes the country has produced for decades. Of course, Fedor Emelianenko reached the heights of the sport in the PRIDE organization, but in the UFC, there have been only sporadic bursts of Russian talent making noise over the years. That doesn’t mean that the wheels weren’t turning there.

“Russia was always rich with all kinds of athletes, including martial arts,” Magomedov said. “And as soon as MMA started spreading all over the world, Russia started producing very exciting and tough fighters like Amar Suloev, Oleg Taktarov, Andrei Semenov, and those guys were pioneers of MMA in Russia. They started their careers in kind of underground fight events, private clubs and casinos so they could make some extra bucks for a living, especially during the craziest time ever in Russian history, when the Soviet Union collapsed and people were struggling for survival.”

Taktarov is a familiar name to any MMA fan, a UFC pioneer who compiled a 6-2-1 record during one year of competition in the Octagon, beating the likes of Tank Abbott and Marco Ruas and drawing with Ken Shamrock while winning the UFC 6 tournament. Semenov and Suloev are names that will only resonate with the hardcore fan base, but there was significant buzz about both fighters when they had brief runs in the UFC. But when Magomedov talks about people “struggling for survival,” that’s a key point because in combat sports, the fighters who dominated the game were often the ones who emerged from the roughest economic conditions.

In boxing, the 1930s-50s saw Italian, Irish and Jewish fighters take over, then black fighters dominated, followed by Latinos. In MMA, hard times guaranteed that soon, the Russians were coming.

“When MMA started growing and becoming more and more popular, many athletes started converting from traditional martial arts like judo, wrestling, sambo, boxing and others, to mixed martial arts,” Magomedov said.

Nurmagomedov and Rustam Khabilov were combat sambo world champions, Albert Tumenov came over from boxing, and that’s just three of the fighters that started pursuing a dream that had the potential to change their lives and the lives of their families.

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“These were guys who came out of small villages, where conditions for training were minimal, but the motivation to train and become a champ was at its maximum,” he said. “Sometimes, kids needed to walk three to seven kilometers, from one village to another, to get to the gym.”

This group of up and comers did just that, and as they developed as fighters, Russia embraced the sport like never before.

“Step by step, small Russian promotions started producing quality, intriguing fight events, and they finally got aired by major national TV channels. That was a changing point in the evolution of Russian MMA.”

Nurmagomedov joined the UFC roster in 2012, and soon, the floodgates opened. Today, several Russian fighters occupy the top 15 rankings in various divisions, with several more on the verge of earning that distinction. If Nurmagomedov can win a title and keep the momentum going, he may end up being just the first UFC champion from Russia and not the last. And if the Octagon lands in Russia, a place UFC President Dana White has talked of bringing the promotion to, well, that would be a big deal throughout the sport.

“Nowadays, MMA is one of most popular martial arts, along with wrestling and boxing,” Magomedov said. “People follow their favorite fighters and promotions, and UFC is the leading one, so people can’t wait until the first event happens in Russia. That will be significant for the whole MMA industry.”

BUFFALO, N.Y

The excitement for the UFC’s return to Buffalo for UFC 210 runs the gamut of emotions, from relief to excitement. After all, it’s been 21 years since UFC 7 hit the shores of Lake Erie, and the April 8 event at KeyBank Center is the grand prize many have been working hard to obtain.

New York State Senator Tim Kennedy has been on the front lines the past seven years pleading with fellow lawmakers in New York to vote to legalize mixed martial arts in the state.

“We recognized how important UFC is to the economy, not just to sports enthusiasts,” Kennedy told UFC.com during a recent Buffalo Sabres game. “Everybody likes a good fight. We were able to get it across the finish line.”

The @BuffaloSabres‘ newest fan, Anthony „Rumble“ Johnson, meets ownership. @KimPegula and @JLPegula welcome Rumble! pic.twitter.com/wSHyQegTb9

— KeyBank Center (@KeyBankCtr) February 17, 2017

KeyBank Center is in the heart of a revitalized downtown Buffalo, putting the city on center stage for UFC 210. Buffalo Sabres owner Kim Pegula has her finger on the pulse of the community and she says its members have been buzzing about MMA in Western New York.

“The city is super excited. We’re a great sports town but this city supports anything that comes here,” Pegula said. “For us to be one of the first here in New York to have the fight here … it’s going to be great and they’ll support it. We love sports.”

Daniel Cormier and Anthony Johnson spent a day touring the city of Buffalo on Feb. 17 and both main event superstars took to the city. The locals are hungry for a winner after almost two full decades without an NFL playoff berth for their hometown Buffalo Bills.

Kennedy said he’s appreciative of the efforts by UFC stars who have campaigned for the legalization of MMA, including former bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey and former middleweight champion Chris Weidman.

Hailing from Baldwin, New York, Weidman is set to compete for the second time in his home state when he meets Gegard Mousasi in the co-main event in Buffalo.

The fighters are ready and the city is excited for the return of the UFC.

“(UFC 210) will make Buffalo the showcase for the rest of the world,” Kennedy said. “It will really show off the renaissance that’s happening in the heart of our community. We’re thrilled to make Buffalo the center of attention once again as it comes to sporting events and something we can all cheer for – the legalization of mixed martial arts.”

Matt Parrino is a digital producer and writer for UFC.com. Follow him on Twitter at @MattParrinoUFC

See the fights live! Get your tix for UFC 209 here

The energy levels of the two sets of championship combatants set to close out UFC 209 next weekend at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas couldn’t have been more different as the quartet of fighters took part in Thursday’s media conference call.

Welterweight rivals Tyron Woodley and Stephen Thompson occupied one end of the spectrum, keeping their answers short, sweet and on message, speaking only when they were called upon as reporters probed for insights and opinions about their impending title rematch.

“I think the rematch is happening because the last fight was a draw,” said Woodley. “Obviously the fight was a draw according to the judges, it was Fight of the Night on the biggest card in UFC history, so everyone wants to see it again and I’m ready to roll.”

Standing in the way of that quest for greatness at the moment is Thompson, an inventive, unorthodox striker who got away from his creative ways somewhat in their first encounter at UFC 205 and promises not to make the same mistakes when they run things back next weekend in Las Vegas.

“Being ready at every point, every step of the way during all five rounds, if it even goes to that; throwing my kicks and making sure I get back in position,” said Thompson when asked what he’s focused on since their initial meeting in New York City. “Being on point every step of the way and being mindful of his power.

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“He’s a powerful guy – he knocks dudes out; you saw what he did to Robbie and he smoked me in the head in the fourth round, so I’ve just got to be on point. Hit and move, baby.”

The duo that will do battle for the interim lightweight title before Woodley and “Wonderboy” run things back to close out the first UFC event in Nevada this year –Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson – took up residence at the other end of the spectrum.

Where their welterweight contemporaries kept things light and limited, the lightweight standouts showed no interest in Robert’s Rules of Order, bickering and interrupting each time the other offered up an answer.

Ferguson tried to keep things civil and under wraps initially, suggesting that despite the interim title being on the line and Nurmagomedov entering with a perfect 24-0 record, next Saturday’s co-main event is just another fight to him, but those comments opened the door for the top-ranked Dagestani grappler to start egging on the former Ultimate Fighter winner and Ferguson was happy to take the bait.

“March 4 I’m going to make history. I’m going to break this guy,” Nurmagomedov said. “He thinks he’s tough, but I’m going to break this guy.”

The comment drew a retort from Ferguson – “You ain’t breaking s***!” – but Nurmagomedov continued.

„I’m going to break this guy.“ @TeamKhabib

„Only thing breaking is your heart after I kick your a**.“ @TonyFergusonXT #UFC209 pic.twitter.com/wScT7MdO4h

— UFC (@ufc) February 23, 2017

“He thinks he’s tough, but when the cage closes and me and him alone inside the cage, I’m going to break this guy. He doesn’t understand how strong I am; he doesn’t understand this. All the time when he fights with wrestling guys, he has a problem, but he never fought with a wrestling guy like me.”

A lengthy back-and-forth between the two ensued, with each man referencing previous fights where the other struggled – Ferguson saying Nurmagomedov should have lost his bout with Gleison Tibau; “The Eagle” counterpunching with Ferguson’s loss to Michael Johnson, the man he beat at UFC 205 to set up this matchup.

It was the kind of verbal sparring match usually reserved for Conor McGregor and whomever he’s fighting or able to goad into trying to go shot-for-shot with him on the microphone and it even ventured into Hollywood territory, with Ferguson declaring himself “The New John Wick” and referencing “Baba Yega,” a Slavic variant on his own “Boogeyman” nickname that was used in the first of the two explosive Keanu Reeves action flicks.

The two continued to go back-and-forth each time a question was asked to the other, with Nurmagomedov frequently pivoting to direct his own questions to the man he’ll face next weekend and each time, an irritated Ferguson was quick to respond.

As much as they disagreed on just about every point the other raised during the call, the one thing both men agreed on is that everything will be settled at UFC 209 in Las Vegas.

“March 4, I’m going to break your career and I’m going to break your face,” Nurmagomedov said at the end of one lengthy exchange.

“You’re just the next person in line for me, dude,” countered Ferguson. “So you can either step aside and miss this a**-beating or you can step inside that Octagon at UFC 209 at the T-Mobile Arena and get your a** kicked by myself.

“You’re going to really find out what ‘El Cucuy’ means.”

E. Spencer Kyte is a freelance MMA journalist who covers the sport for The Province newspaper in Vancouver. Follow his work on Twitter @spencerkyte