Umar Nurmagomedov finally has an opponent! It was confirmed earlier this month that the undefeated UFC Bantamweight will take on UFC newcomer Bekzat Almakhan during a Fight Night event on March 2 inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
But who is Bekzat Almakhan? And how did Umar Nurmagomedov go from fighting a top-5 ranked Cory Sandhagen to taking on a UFC debutant?
Umar Nurmagomedov will fight Bekzat Almakhan at #UFCVegas87 on March 2nd. (first rep. @frontkicked) #UFC #MMA #UFCESPN #UFC2024 pic.twitter.com/RpnHaeEii8
— Marcel Dorff 🇳🇱🇮🇩 (@BigMarcel24) February 13, 2024
Bekzat Almakhan is a mixed martial artist coming out of Kazakhstan. He is 17-1 in his MMA career and is currently on a nine-fight winning streak. Of the 17 victories, 13 have come via way of stoppage. Almakhan has predominantly fought on his home turf. He has been competing in the Octagon League, a regional promotion in Kazakhstan. However, he has also competed at UAE Warriors, a sole appearance in February 2023. A fight he won comfortably via unanimous decision.
Umar Nurmagomedov’s coach Javier Mendez talks about Bekzat Almakhan
Javier Mendez, the renowned coach behind the success of fighters like Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev, shared his thoughts on Bekzat Almakhan on the Javier Mendez podcast.
“I have heard of him through UAE Warriors. He fought in the UAE Warriors, and he is really tough. The guy is good everywhere. Good ground, good stand-up, and good game-planning. he is a very formidable challenge”
“The only negative on him is he doesn’t have UFC experience, but he has a 17-1 record. Good fight experience. He looks good, all the videos I have seen of him, he looks really good. It’s definitely someone that maybe not ranked, but it doesn’t matter. We have to fight whoever they put in front of us. Umar is not complaining; he has a fight. Sure, we want a top-5 guy, but we want to fight more than anything. So, he has a fight.” Mendez said.
Javier Mendez also expressed how it’s been tough to get fights booked for Umar Nurmagomedov, who has proved time and again he is too good for his competitors at this age in his mixed martial arts career.
