Many Russian MMA fighters have dominated the UFC throughout the years, and most of them have similar surnames. Among all, Khabib Nurmagomedov is widely regarded as one of the greatest in the sport of MMA and is frequently used as a standard for evaluating upcoming fighters. It is his superb ground game and common surname that makes many question if all other fighters with a similar common name from Dagestan are linked to ‘The Eagle’. One such questionable entity in the UFC is Umar Nurmagomedov.
The 27-year-old fighter competes in the bantamweight division and is in a way related to the former lightweight champion Khabib. Both Umar and ‘The Eagle’ come from a place called Dagestan and are cousins by relation.
Umar Nurmagomedov has a brother named Usman Nurmagomedov who is also a trained fighter and competes in the Bellator MMA. Umar trained himself in MMA at the Eagles MMA under Khabib’s father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.
He seems to have the same set of values as that of ‘The Eagle’ when it comes to maintaining distance from trash talk. Not only this, but he also follows in the footsteps of his cousin’s brother when it comes to his mixed martial arts career.
Umar Nurmagomedov: UFC career so far
‘Young Eagle’ has exemplary skills and maintains an incredible fighting record. He is currently #14 in the bantamweight rankings and enjoys an unbeaten MMA record. His professional fighting record is 16-0-0, with 16 wins (2 via KO, 7 via submission, 7 via decision) and 0 losses.
His first UFC fight took place in 2021 at UFC on ESPN: Chiesa vs. Magny. Umar fought against Sergey Morozov and defeated him via technical submission (rear-naked choke). His second bout was against Brian Kelleher at UFC 272, which again Umar won via submission.
Umar’s third bout was at UFC on ESPN: Tsarukyan vs. Gamrot and he was set against Nate Maness. The 28-year-old fighter yet again proved his mettle in the octagon and defeated Manesa via a unanimous decision.
The Russian star’s most recent fight was at UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Imavov, in which ‘Young Eagle’ defeated Raoni Barcelos via KO. It is not just the UFC, Umar has previously also competed at Fight Nights Global and PFL (Professional Fighters League).
Moreover, when it comes to Umar’s next potential opponent, the 27-year-old fighter is eyeing the bantamweight title. He even once said that he would beat Sean O’Malley to get the title and that it is an easy affair for him.
But looking at the current situation, #14 Umar must face other fighters who are ranked above him in the bantamweight division before he competes for the title. As no bout has yet been scheduled for Khabib’s cousin, he will have to wait to see what UFC does next for him.
