Usman Nurmagomedov
Nurmagomedov in 2021
BornUsman Magomednabievich Nurmagomedov[1]
(1998-04-17) April 17, 1998 (age 25)
Kizilyurt, Dagestan, Russia
Native nameУсман Нурмагомедов
ResidenceBuena Park, California, U.S.
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight155 lb (70 kg; 11 st 1 lb)
DivisionLightweight
Reach72.0 in (183 cm)
StyleMuay Thai, Combat Sambo
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofChelyabinsk, Russia
San Jose, California, U.S.
TeamEagles MMA
American Kickboxing Academy
TrainerAbdulmanap Nurmagomedov (former)
Javier Mendez
Years active2017–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total18
Wins17
By knockout8
By submission6
By decision3
Losses0
No contests1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Usman Magomednabievich Nurmagomedov (Russian: Усман Магомеднабиевич Нурмагомедов; born April 17, 1998) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division of Bellator MMA, where he is the current Bellator Lightweight Champion. He has previously competed in the UAE Warriors and Eagle Fighting Championship (then Gorilla Fighting Championship). He is the younger brother of UFC fighter Umar Nurmagomedov and a cousin of former UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.[2] As of October 10, 2023, he is No. 3 in the Bellator men's pound-for-pound rankings.[3]

Background

Usman Nurmagomedov was born on April 17, 1998, in the city of Kizilyurt, Republic of Dagestan.[4][5]

As a child, living in his native village, with his brother Umar Nurmagomedov, he began to attend freestyle wrestling practice at the age of eight. Once his brother Umar began to practice Thai boxing, Usman followed suit.[6][7][4]

After moving to Makhachkala, Usman began training with his uncle, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov at the Eagles MMA camp. There he gained sambo skills and trained alongside teammates such as his cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev. He is of Avar ethnic origin.[6]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Nurmagomedov's professional MMA career began on March 26, 2017, in Moscow at the Moscow Pankration Federation promotion tournament. His opponent was Imran Abdiev. Usman won his first professional fight via armbar in the first round.[8][9]

Nurmagomedov would continue fighting in various organizations such as the GFC and UAE Warriors, winning his next 10 fights. All but one of these fights were won by a knockout or submission.[10] After winning his 11th professional fight in the Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov Memory Tournament, Usman signed a multi-fight contract with Bellator.[11] According to MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, he is considered to be a "major prospect" in the sport.[12]

Bellator MMA

In his stateside and Bellator debut on April 2, 2021, at Bellator 255, Nurmagomedov fought Mike Hamel. Primarily using his significant reach advantage, Usman focused on throwing kicks and not letting Hamel get into range. At times when Hamel did close the distance, Nurmagomedov took the fight to the ground. He won the fight via Unanimous Decision.[13]

In his second fight for Bellator on July 31, 2021, at Bellator 263, Nurmagomedov faced Luis "Manny" Muro. After landing a successful knee that caused Muro to fall to the floor, Nurmagomedov followed through with hammerfists causing the referee to stop the fight in round 1.[14][15]

Usman's next fight was at Bellator 269 on October 23, 2021, where he faced Patrik Pietilä at a catchweight bout at 160 lbs. After using his kicks from a distance, Nurmagomedov took the fight to the ground once Pietila closed the distance. Taking his back, Nurmagomedov locked in a rear-naked choke, and won the fight by submission in the first round.[16]

Nurmagomedov then faced Chris Gonzalez on July 22, 2022, at Bellator 283. After tripping Gonzalez, Usman locked in a guillotine choke and got the tap. He won the fight via Submission in the first round.[17]

Usman faced Patricky Pitbull for the Bellator Lightweight World Championship at Bellator 288 on November 18, 2022.[18] He defeated him in dominant fashion, winning the belt and the bout via unanimous decision.[19]

Lightweight Grand Prix

Nurmagomedov was announced as one of the participants of the Bellator Lightweight Grand Prix, which has a grand prize of $1 million. On March 10, 2023, Usman defended his title in the quarterfinal of the Grand Prix against former WEC and UFC Lightweight Champion Benson Henderson at Bellator 292.[20] He won the fight quickly, dropping Henderson with a question-mark kick seconds into the fight, and then proceeding to take his back and win the fight with a rear-naked choke.[21]

In the semifinals, Nurmagomedov made his second title defense against former champion Brent Primus on 7 October 2023, at Bellator 300.[22] He originally won the fight by unanimous decision but that result was overturned by CSAC when Nurmagomedov tested positive for a prescription drug that contained a banned substance. He was suspended for 6 months, however due to the accidental nature of the ingestion, he was not stripped of the title.[23][24][25]

Championships and awards

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
18 matches 17 wins 0 losses
By knockout 8 0
By submission 6 0
By decision 3 0
No contests 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
NC 17–0 (1) Brent Primus NC (overturned by CSAC) Bellator 300 October 7, 2023 5 5:00 San Diego, California, United States Bellator Lightweight World Grand Prix Semifinal. Retained the Bellator Lightweight World Championship. Originally a unanimous decision win for Nurmagomedov, overturned after he tested positive for a banned substance in a prescription drug. Unintentional nature of test resulted in Nurmagomedov not being stripped of the title.
Win 17–0 Benson Henderson Submission (rear-naked choke) Bellator 292 March 10, 2023 1 2:37 San Jose, California, United States Bellator Lightweight World Grand Prix Quarterfinal. Defended the Bellator Lightweight World Championship.
Win 16–0 Patricky Pitbull Decision (unanimous) Bellator 288 November 18, 2022 5 5:00 Chicago, Illinois, United States Won the Bellator Lightweight World Championship.
Win 15–0 Chris Gonzalez Submission (guillotine choke) Bellator 283 July 22, 2022 1 2:54 Tacoma, Washington, United States
Win 14–0 Patrik Pietilä Submission (rear-naked choke) Bellator 269 October 23, 2021 1 4:06 Moscow, Russia Catchweight (160 lb) bout.
Win 13–0 Manny Muro TKO (knee to the body) Bellator 263 July 31, 2021 1 3:30 Inglewood, California, United States
Win 12–0 Mike Hamel Decision (unanimous) Bellator 255 April 2, 2021 3 5:00 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
Win 11–0 Svyatoslav Shabanov TKO (punches) FNG / GFC: Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov Memory Tournament September 9, 2020 2 3:37 Moscow, Russia
Win 10–0 Jerry Kvarnstrom TKO (punches and elbows) UAE Warriors 12 July 31, 2020 1 2:39 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Win 9–0 Ruslan Tuyakov TKO (knees) Gorilla Fighting 24 February 9, 2020 2 2:03 Saratov, Russia
Win 8–0 Roman Golovinov TKO (punches) UAE Warriors 9 November 29, 2019 1 1:45 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Win 7–0 Kazim Zhakhangirov Submission (guillotine choke) Gorilla Fighting 17 September 27, 2019 2 1:10 Atyrau, Kazakhstan
Win 6–0 Ruslan Hisamutdinov Decision (unanimous) Gorilla Fighting 15 July 28, 2019 3 5:00 Penza, Russia
Win 5–0 Brian Gonzalez TKO (punches) Gorilla Fighting 11 March 3, 2019 1 3:14 Penza, Russia Lightweight debut.
Win 4–0 Romeo Njia Submission (rear-naked choke) Battle on Volga 9 February 17, 2019 1 4:48 Moscow, Russia
Win 3–0 Issei Moriyama TKO (punches) Brave CF 21 December 28, 2018 1 N/A Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Win 2–0 Dmitriy Berestovskiy TKO (doctor stoppage) Battle on Volga 8 December 14, 2018 1 5:00 Samara, Russia
Win 1–0 Imran Abdiev Submission (armbar) MPF: Young Talents Cup 2017 March 26, 2017 1 1:51 Moscow, Russia Featherweight debut.

[26]

See also

References

  1. ^ Kuprechenkov, Anton (2021-03-31). "«Нурмагомедов в Bellator». Дебют Усмана Нурмагомедова". mma.metaratings.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  2. ^ "Who is Khabib Nurmagomedov's Cousin, Umar Nurmagomedov?". EssentiallySports. 2020-02-28. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  3. ^ "Bellator Rankings". www.bellator.com. Retrieved 2021-06-16.
  4. ^ a b "Усман Нурмагомедов. Что надо знать о перспективном брате Хабиба". Рейтинг БК (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-09-06.
  5. ^ "Двоюродный брат Хабиба – тайский боксер. Он зрелищно дерется и вырубает, а в апреле дебютирует в Bellator". Sports.ru. Retrieved 2022-09-06.
  6. ^ a b ""Нурмагомедов в Bellator". Дебют Усмана Нурмагомедова". mma.metaratings.ru (in Russian). 2021-03-31. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
  7. ^ Априамов, Спорт Тема: UFC / Хабиб Нурмагомедов / Автор: Алексей (2020-10-19). "Усман Нурмагомедов, брат Хабиба Нурмагомедова, уедет работать в США". 1RRE. Retrieved 2022-09-06.
  8. ^ Sherdog.com. "Moscow Pankration Federation – Young Talents of Russia, Europe and Asia 2017". Sherdog. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  9. ^ "Молодой брат Хабиба — в UFC. Кто такой Умар Нурмагомедов". sport-express.ru (in Russian). 2020-02-01. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
  10. ^ Sherdog.com. "Usman Nurmagomedov MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography - Sherdog.com". Sherdog. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  11. ^ Chiari, Mike. "Khabib Nurmagomedov's Cousin Usman Signs Multifight Contract with Bellator". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  12. ^ "Khabib's cousin joins Bellator on multifight deal". ESPN.com. 2020-10-02. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  13. ^ "Bellator 255 results: Usman Nurmagomedov wins unanimous decision in Bellator debut". MMA Junkie. 2021-04-03. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
  14. ^ "Bellator 263 results: Usman Nurmagomedov dispatches of Manny Muro with body shot". MMA Junkie. 2021-08-01. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  15. ^ Sherdog.com. "Bellator 263 'Pitbull vs. McKee' Play-by-Play, Results & Round Scoring". Sherdog. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  16. ^ Anderson, Jay (2021-10-23). "Bellator 269 Results: Usman Nurmagomedov Stays Perfect, Submits Patrik Pietila". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  17. ^ "Bellator 283 results: Usman Nurmagomedov quickly taps Chris Gonzalez, moves to 15–0". MMA Junkie. 2022-07-23. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  18. ^ Cruz, Guilherme (2022-08-11). "Patricky Pitbull set to defend Bellator title against Usman Nurmagomedov in November". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  19. ^ Anderson, Jay (2022-11-18). "Bellator 288: Usman Nurmagomedov Stays Undefeated In Dominant Title Win Over Patricky Pitbull". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-11-19.
  20. ^ "Bellator Lightweight World Grand Prix starts March 10 in San Jose". Orange County Register. 2023-01-11. Retrieved 2023-01-11.
  21. ^ "Bellator 292 results: Former UFC champ Benson Henderson retires after first-round loss to Usman Nurmagomedov". MMA Junkie. 2023-03-11. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
  22. ^ Guillen Jr, Adam (2023-08-09). "Bellator 300 set with four title fights featuring Ryan Bader, Cris Cyborg and Usman Nurmagomedov". SBNation. Retrieved 2023-09-13.
  23. ^ Anderson, Jay (2023-10-08). "Bellator 300: Usman Nurmagomedov Retains, Cruises Past Brent Primus to Grand Prix Final". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-10-08.
  24. ^ Kasabian, Paul (2023-11-11). "Usman Nurmagomedov Tests Positive for Banned Substance, Suspended 6 Months by CSAC". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  25. ^ "Bellator's U. Nurmagomedov banned 6 months". ESPN.com. 2023-11-11. Retrieved 2023-11-11.
  26. ^ Sherdog.com. "Usman Nurmagomedov MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography - Sherdog.com". Sherdog. Retrieved 2022-05-24.

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