Short answers, pulled from the story.
The name Dagestan translates to land of the mountains and it is the southernmost tip of Russia. This republic is a rugged area where the Greater Caucasus Mountains plunge directly into the Caspian Sea.
The Dagestani people became the first population within the current borders of Russia to convert to Islam in the year 643. This conversion occurred during the Arab conquest of the region and established a deep religious foundation that predates the arrival of Christianity in many other parts of the North Caucasus.
Imam Shamil led the struggle against the Russian Empire from 1834 until 1859. He was the final leader in a succession of charismatic figures that began with Ghazi Mohammed from 1828 to 1832 and followed by Hamzat Bek from 1832 to 1834.
The Dagestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic was proclaimed on the 20th of January 1921. This event followed the Bolshevik victory after more than three years of fighting against the short-lived United Mountain Dwellers of the North Caucasus state.
The Islamic International Peacekeeping Brigade invaded Dagestan on the 7th of August 1999. This military invasion was led by warlords Shamil Basayev, Ibn Al-Khattab, and Ramzan Akhmadov with the aim to create an independent Islamic State of Dagestan.
Khabib Nurmagomedov is the Dagestani born UFC lightweight champion who retired undefeated. He is a global icon and his training partner Islam Makhachev is the former lightweight champion and current welterweight champion from the same region.