Every year, many young and upcoming fighters make their debuts in some of the biggest promotions like UFC, Bellator, and ONE Championship. But there’s one class of fighters that have taken the MMA community by storm. They are the fighters hailing from the Dagestan region of Russia.
Dagestan has produced some of the biggest names in wrestling and MMA. Fighters like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Zubaira Tukhugov, and Islam Makhachev have represented Dagestan at the highest level. And now, a new generation of fighters is all set to take that legacy ahead. One of them is Umar Nurmagomedov.
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Umar Nurmagomedov Is An Undefeated MMA Fighter
The 25-year-old had been on UFC’s radar for quite some time. It is the result of his performances in the PFL and Gorilla Fighting Championship. With a previously amassed record of 12-0, he’s all set to make his UFC debut on January 20 on the preliminary card of UFC Fight Night: Chiesa vs. Magny. Javier Mendez, Khabib‘s boxing coach, even sees a potential champion in Umar.
Umar Nurmagomedov Is Khabib’s Cousin
Umar is the product of the same coach as his older brother Khabib- Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. It has been famously quoted by Ali Abdelaziz that if someone has the same blood as Khabib, he’s naturally good at wrestling. So, it is not surprising he has been so dominant inside the cage.
Since turning professional in 2016, half of his wins have come from stoppages (1 TKO and 5 submissions). With an extensive background in Muay Thai and combat sambo, he can be considered to be a serious threat both on feet and ground.
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He Is All Set To Make His UFC Debut
Some unavoidable circumstances had scrapped his previous attempts to make a UFC debut. COVID-19 pandemic postponed his plans to debut in UFC 249. The undefeated bantamweight then pulled out in July due to the unfortunate demise of his uncle and coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. A staph infection once again forced him to postpone his much-anticipated debut during UFC 254.
Ultimately, he’s all set to take on the humongous task in the face of Sergey Morozov on the 20th of January. He certainly possesses the potential to quickly rise as one of the biggest threats to the current Bantamweight king Petr Yan.
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