I've watched Rustam compete quite a bit, and Rick Macauley is the only other person I can remember who chose to stand with him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhImajm7fB4
He has so much body hair his opponent could've used it for gi grips.
for sure, these guys are beasts. I think it's part of the culture. Martial arts and particularly wrestling/judo/sambo are REALLY popular in the North Caucasus. I read somewhere that most men there prior to the age of 10 have all done some form of combat sport.Chsiev wasn't a top level wrestler back home in Ossetia but you can see how high the level is if he wasn't near the top.
I didn't see anything overly impressive from the guy in purple, wrestling-wise. All he did was try to wrestle with Chsiev, and he got out-wrestled.
That's like saying you don't see anything overly impressive about the black belts that compete with Mendes bros or Marcelo.
That's giving Rustam a little too much credit, don't you think?