Watch Umar Nurmagomedov one-up his cousin Khabib by scoring a second-round technical submission.
[autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] is the latest fighter bearing his surname to grace the UFC cage – and he’s already one-upped his cousin Khabib.
At UFC on ESPN 20 on Wednesday, Nurmagomedov (13-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) made his long-anticipated UFC debut after three cancellations. Nurmagomedov put on a tactical, multifaceted performance and ended the fight with a technical submission at the 3:39 mark of Round 2.
The beginning of the end for Morozov (16-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) was a beautiful double-leg takedown by Nurmagomedov. When Morozov stood up, Nurmagomedov remained relentless. After he swung to the back and dumped Morozov to the ground again, Nurmagomedov worked his submission along the fence. Nurmagomedov got his hands into position, pulled Morozov backward, and put his opponent to sleep.
Following the announcement of the official decision, Nurmagomedov was joined by Khabib, who served as both cornerman and translator.
“He talked about me,” Khabib translated. “Nine years ago today, Jan. 20, 2012, I beat my opponent like this with this choke. Today, he did this. But I did it in the third round. He did it in the second round.”
Check out Nurmagomedov’s finish and subsequent interview in the videos below:
Russian bantamweight and cousin of UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, Umar Nurmagomedov, has been ruled out of his octagon debut at UFC 254.
It’s third time unlucky for Russian bantamweight [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag], with his latest attempt to make his UFC debut nixed by illness less than one week from fight night in Abu Dhabi.
Nurmagomedov (12-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) was all set to make his octagon debut against former M-1 Global bantamweight champion Sergei Morozov (16-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who was also set for his UFC bow, at UFC 254, which takes place Saturday at Flash Forum on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The event streams live on pay per view following prelims on ESPN+ and ESPN2.
It was initially reported by Russian news agency TASS that Nurmagomedov had been hospitalized with “severe flu, fever and vomiting,” but it was subsequently confirmed by Nurmagomedov’s cousin and teammate, UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, that the bantamweight’s symptoms were as a result of a staph infection that left his cousin hospitalized in Dubai.
Posting to his Instagram page, Khabib laid out the situation, saying (via translation), “The last few days, Umar has been in a hotel with a high fever, which was caused by a staphylococcal infection. But despite this, he and our entire team were determined that he would perform on October 24th. This morning, before our flight to Abu Dhabi, he got worse and was hospitalized in Dubai. Get well brother, so it was meant to be.”
The news means that Nurmagomedov has now been forced to miss three debut bookings with the UFC. His first, against Hunter Azure at UFC 249, was postponed due to restrictions around the COVID-19 pandemic, while he withdrew from his second, against England’s Nathaniel Wood at UFC on ESPN 14, due to the death of his uncle and coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, following complications from COVID-19. Now illness has ruled out Nurmagomedov’s third attempt to step into the octagon.
Khabib and Umar were both scheduled to compete together on the UFC 254 card, but now only Khabib will head to Abu Dhabi from the team’s Dubai training camp as “The Eagle” makes his final preparations to face Justin Gaethje on Saturday, with multiple UFC officials confirming to MMA Junkie on the ground in Abu Dhabi that Khabib’s main event fight remains “100 percent on.”
Not an ideal message to see today, but I have spoken with multiple UFC officials who assure me the @TeamKhabib fight at #UFC254 is “still 100 percent on." https://t.co/dECt2guIne
Nathaniel Wood won’t be fighting Umar Nurmagomedov on UFC ‘Fight Island’ – but he’ll still be fighting.
[autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag] won’t be fighting [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] on July 25 – but he’ll still be fighting.
Expected to fill in for Nurmagomedov to fight Wood (16-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) is a former Combate Americas bantamweight champion, [autotag]John Castaneda[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 0-0 UFC). The event will take place on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi as the fourth event the promotion will hold in 15 days.
Multiple people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the targeted booking Thursday but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Castaneda will make his long-awaited UFC debut 22 fights into his professional career. From May 2015 to November 2017, Castaneda won 11 straight fights. He also competed on Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 1, defeating Cheyden Leialoha by unanimous decision. He is 1-2 in his most recent three bouts.
Conversely, Wood will look to rebound from his first UFC loss. After defeating Johnny Eduardo, Andre Ewell and Jose Quinonez in succession to kick off his promotional tenure, Wood was finished via strikes by John Dodson in February.
With the changes, the current July 25 lineup includes:
MMA Junkie’s resident Brit, Simon Head, takes a look at five key matchups involving U.K.-based fighters on the UFC’s “Fight Island.”
The launch of the UFC’s “Fight Island” events in Abu Dhabi next month marks the moment for a group of fighters from the international roster to return to action.
That group includes a host of U.K.-based fighters who, up to now, have been in MMA exile while international travel restrictions keep them from traveling to the U.S. to compete.
The advent of “Fight Island” and the UFC’s detailed travel regimen for fighters jetting into Abu Dhabi have opened the door for some of the promotion’s most exciting fighters from the U.K. to return to action.
Ahead of the UFC’s four-event run on Yas Island, here are five fights to keep an eye on that feature returning U.K. fighters.
Without further ado …
****
Molly McCann vs. Talia Santos, July 15
There’s been something special about some of the matchups we’ve seen during the UFC’s lockdown era so far, and you can bet your last dollar (or British pound) that [autotag]Molly McCann[/autotag] will look to add to that growing list of memorable fights.
McCann (10-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) arrived in the UFC as the Cage Warriors women’s flyweight champion, but was submitted by Gillian Robertson on her debut in her hometown of Liverpool. But since that defeat McCann has bounced back superbly with a trio of unanimous decision victories over Priscilla Cachoeira, Ariane Lipski and Diana Belbita.
“Meatball” is getting better with every fight, and will be keen to show her latest improvements against Contender Series graduate [autotag]Talia Santos[/autotag] (15-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC), who is bidding to claim her maiden UFC victory after suffering her first career defeat on her UFC debut against Mara Romero Borella.
The fight represents the toughest assignment of McCann’s UFC career since her debut, but a fourth straight win for the energetic Evertonian will push the 30-year-old toward the division’s big names later in 2020.
“Fight Island” is real, and now the four cards that will take place there are real, as well.
“Fight Island” is real, and now the four cards that will take place there are real, as well.
UFC president Dana White today announced the complete lineup for the four cards that will take place next month in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The unique setup has been necessitated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which has made it difficult to get international fighters into the U.S. to compete.
“I think this is going to be a really unique experience, not just for the fighters, but for us,” UFC president Dana White said during the announcement. “It’s going to be cool. It’s going to be something different. It’s never been done before, and however long this thing goes on, and however long it’s hard to get people in from other countries, we will have these fights at ‘Fight Island’ – Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.”
First up, it’s UFC 251 on July 11, which features a trio of title fights.
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
Champ [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] – for welterweight title
Champ [autotag]Alexander Volkanovski[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag] – for featherweight title
[autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag] – for vacant bantamweight title
[autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Rose Namajunas[/autotag]
[autotag]Amanda Ribas[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Paige VanZant[/autotag]
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
[autotag]Volkan Oezdemir[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jiri Prochazka[/autotag]
[autotag]Muslim Salikhov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos[/autotag]
[autotag]Makwan Amirkhani[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Danny Henry[/autotag]
[autotag]Roman Bogatov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Leonardo Santos[/autotag]
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN, ESPN+, 6:15 p.m. ET)
[autotag]Alexander Romanov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Marcin Tybura[/autotag]
[autotag]Raulian Paiva[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Zhalgas Zhumagulov[/autotag]
[autotag]Vanessa Melo[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Karol Rosa[/autotag]
[autotag]Martin Day[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Davey Grant[/autotag]
Calvin Kattar and Dan Ige
The promotion then returns on July 15 with an event headlined by featherweight contenders [autotag]Calvin Kattar[/autotag] (21-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) and [autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag] (14-2 MMA, 6-1 UFC).
The complete lineup includes:
MAIN CARD (10 p.m. ET)
Calvin Kattar vs. Dan Ige
[autotag]Frankie Edgar[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag]
[autotag]Carla Esparza[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Marina Rodriguez[/autotag]
[autotag]Abdul Razak Alhassan[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Mounir Lazzez[/autotag]
[autotag]Chris Fishgold[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jared Gordon[/autotag]
PRELIMINARY (7 p.m. ET)
[autotag]Modestas Bukauskas[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Vinicius Moreira[/autotag]
[autotag]Molly McCann[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Taila Santos[/autotag]
[autotag]Lerone Murphy[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ricardo Ramos[/autotag]
[autotag]John Phillips[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Dusko Todorovic[/autotag]
[autotag]Ryan Benoit[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Tim Elliott[/autotag]
[autotag]Diana Belbita[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Liana Jojua[/autotag]
Joseph Benavidez and Deiveson Figueiredo
Three days later, on July 18, the promotion hosts its third card in eight days, when top flyweight contenders [autotag]Deiveson Figueiredo[/autotag] (18-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) and [autotag]Joseph Benavidez[/autotag] (28-6 MMA, 15-4 UFC) meet for a second time with the vacant UFC flyweight title on the line.
The full card includes:
MAIN CARD (9 p.m. ET)
Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Joseph Benavidez – for vacant flyweight title
[autotag]Kelvin Gastelum[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jack Hermansson[/autotag]
[autotag]Marc Diakiese[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag]
[autotag]Luana Carolina[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Ariane Lipski[/autotag]
[autotag]Askar Askarov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Alexandre Pantoja[/autotag]
PRELIMINARY CARD (6 p.m. ET)
[autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Khadis Ibragimov[/autotag]
[autotag]Grant Dawson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Nad Narimani[/autotag]
[autotag]Joel Alvarez[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Joe Duffy[/autotag]
[autotag]Montel Jackson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Brett Johns[/autotag]
[autotag]Aleksander Doskalchuk[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Tagir Ulanbekov[/autotag]
[autotag]Davi Ramos[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag]
[autotag]Carlos Felipe[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Serghei Spivac[/autotag]
Darren Till and Robert Whittaker
Finally, the UFC’s run in Abu Dhabi ends on July 25 with a much-anticipated middleweight contest between former champion [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] (20-5 MMA, 11-3 UFC) and former welterweight title challenger [autotag]Darren Till[/autotag] (18-2-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC).
That night’s full lineup includes:
MAIN CARD
Robert Whittaker vs. Darren Till
[autotag]Antonio Rogerio Nogueira[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Mauricio Rua[/autotag]
[autotag]Alex Oliveira[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Peter Sobotta[/autotag]
[autotag]Alexander Gustafsson[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Fabricio Werdum[/autotag]
[autotag]Nicolas Dalby[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Danny Roberts[/autotag]
PRELIMINARY CARD
[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jake Collier[/autotag]
[autotag]Raphael Pessoa[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Justin Tafa[/autotag]
[autotag]Movsar Evloev[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Mike Grundy[/autotag]
[autotag]Bethe Correia[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Pannie Kianzad[/autotag]
[autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag]
[autotag]Ramazan Emeev[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Shavkat Rakhmonov[/autotag]
Umar Nurmagomedov will draw a tough test in his UFC debut when he faces Nathaniel Wood on July 25.
[autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] is finally set for his UFC debut.
Nurmagomedov (12-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will take on [autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag] (16-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) on July 25 at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi – also known as “Fight Island.”
A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie after an initial report from the “Mo Hosani 360” podcast. The person asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Nurmagomedov was scheduled to make his UFC debut vs. Hunter Azure in April, but the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Nurmagomedov, a former Gorilla Fighting Championship bantamweight titleholder, is unbeaten in his pro MMA career and coming off a first-round submission over Braian Gonzalez this past November.
After submitting his first three opponents in the UFC, Wood suffered his first promotional loss in February when he was stopped by John Dodson in the third round. The former Cage Warriors bantamweight champion has only gone the distance twice in his 16 pro wins.
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With the addition, the current July 25 lineup includes:
Another Nurmagomedov will be competing at UFC 249, as Umar Nurmagomedov takes on Hunter Azure.
Another Nurmagomedov will be competing at UFC 249.
[autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (12-0 MMA) will take on fellow undefeated bantamweight [autotag]Hunter Azure[/autotag] (8-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) at the event, joining his cousin, UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, on the card.
UFC 249 takes place April 18 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.
The 24-year-old Nurmagomedov is the third member of the family to join the UFC roster, alongside Khabib and another cousin, Abubakar Nurmagomedov. He has mostly competed for Russian promotion Fight Nights Global, but also has two appearances for PFL, where he notched wins over Saidyokub Kakharamonov and Sidemar Honorio.
Azure secured a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series this past July with a unanimous decision win over Chris Ocon. In his first official bout, he upset “Ultimate Fighter” winner Brad Katona at UFC on ESPN+ 16 in September.
With the addition, the UFC 249 lineup now includes:
Champ Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson – for lightweight title
A third member of the Nurmagomedov family has joined the ranks of the UFC.
A third member of the Nurmagomedov family has joined the ranks of the UFC.
Undefeated bantamweight [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (12-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has signed with the UFC, the promotion announced on Instagram on Thursday. Nurmagomedov’s signing first came to light in January.
No timeline, opponent, or location has been revealed as to Nurmagomedov’s promotional debut.
Umar is the younger cousin of UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] (28-0 MMA, 12-0 UFC). UFC middleweight Abubakar Nurmagomedov (15-3-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) is also a blood relative. Said Nurmagomedov is in the UFC, but shares no blood relation to the other three fighters.
Nurmagomedov is only 24 years old, but he’s already built up high-level experience. The Russian fighter largely competed for Fight Nights Global early in his career. In August 2018, Nurmagomedov made his U.S. debut for the PFL. He defeated Saidyokub Kakharamonov by unanimous decision in a back-and-forth battle.
After returning to Russia soil, Nurmagomedov won back-to-back fights. He made his PFL return in August 2019 and a successful one at that. Nurmagomedov picked up his second unanimous decision win under the promotion’s banner, defeating Sidemar Honorio
Nurmagomedov most recently competed in November 2019, taking out then-undefeated fighter Brian Gonzalez by first-round rear-naked choke.
