Khabib Nurmagomedov Introduces His Cousin to Bellator MMA

Khabib Nurmagomedov is not the only fighter in his family who boasts of an undefeated record. His cousin Usman Nurmagomedov is also an undefeated professional fighter. Now, the younger lightweight Nurmagomedov will face sterner tests as he will compete under the banner of Bellator MMA.

Bellator announced on Friday that they have signed the 11-0 Usman Nurmagomedov to a multi-year multi-fight deal. With the signing, Bellator has added a future dominant force to their 155-fight division. Usman’s renowned cousin and UFC lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov took to Instagram to congratulate his cousin on the signing.

Bellator president Scott Coker said, “With (Friday’s) signing of Usman Nurmagomedov, we are making it clear that Bellator is home to the best fighters on the planet and an organization where the sport’s future stars are coming to compete,”

“I am thrilled to have Usman join the promotion and he will be placed in an immediate position to showcase his skills and contend at 155 pounds. We hope to have him in action inside the Bellator cage by December or January.”

Just like Khabib Nurmagomedov, Usman also possesses excellent wrestling

Usman Nurmagomedov will gun for the Bellator 155-pound title held by Patricio Freire, who also holds the Bellator featherweight gold.

The up-and-coming fighter also trains at American Kickboxing Academy in California. The MMA gym has been the breeding ground of multiple UFC champions such as Khabib Nurmagomedov, Daniel Cormier, Luke Rockhold, and Cain Velasquez. Moreover, Khabib’s father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov trained prior to his death.

Usman has a mix of standout wrestling along with excellent Muay Thai. His style of fighting has been highly successful so far, allowing him to win ten of his eleven fights via stoppage. While three of them have come via submission, the rest have all been due to knockouts.

His last fight ended in a second-round TKO against Svyatoslav Shabanov at a Fight Night Global event in early September.

The veteran MMA manager Ali Abdelaziz, who manages a ton of high-profile UFC fighter, also manages Usman Nurmagomedov. The latter will hope for his dominating run to continue in his new promotional home as well. What do you make of the blockbuster signing?