Usman Nurmagomedov proved to the world that he is indeed one of the best lightweight fighters in the world. The 18-0 fighter retained his title after defeating Alexander Shabliy in a highly exciting clash at Bellator Championship Series 4. Nurmagomedov seemed to be in top-notch form as he made it challenging for Shabily to control the fight. Former lightweight champion of the UFC, Khabib Nurmagomedov, was also present in his corner to help him in his fight.

The Nurmagomedov family is currently concocting havoc in the world of MMA by winning trophies in multiple promotions. One of the biggest reasons for that to happen is the work they put behind the scenes under the watchful eyes of ‘The Eagle’. The former champion also travels with them during their important fights. However, he often fails to keep calm as he tries to shout out instructions to the youngsters. This was precisely the case during the latest Bellator fight, but this time, Umar Nurmagomedov had to face a bit of trouble in the process, despite a scoreline of 50-45, 49-46, and 49-46, showing his dominance yet again in the Bellator.

‘The Eagle’, since retiring from the sport, has taken a keen interest in coaching fighters and has helped many achieve success. But on most occasions, he fails to keep his calm outside the Octagon, and this time,  Umar was at the receiving end of his excitement.

His opponent, Shabliy was unbeaten in his last five fights and was determined to win the title. However, the Dagestani fighter proved too much for him and proved that he was on a different level altogether. During most of the fights, the former UFC champion can be seen shouting instructions to his fighters, but this time around, he was a bit more animated. Such was his excitement that he tried to make Umar Nurmagomedov tap out by trying a choke. ‘The Eagle’ enjoyed the whole situation and put out a story on his Instagram account with a message that read, “Good job brother you didn’t tap @umar_nurmagomedov” 

The Dagestani camp now holds the title in both the UFC and the Bellator in the lightweight division. While the performance of Usman Nurmagomedov might surprise many out there, but ‘The Eagle’ was always confident about his abilities. Before the fight, he said, “Usman Nurmagomedov is the future of this sport… Him and me was trained by my father, and now I train him.” Nurmagomedov, after the fight, went on to say something huge about the 26-year-old.

Khabib Nurmagomedov labels Usman Nurmagomedov as the ‘best’ after his latest victory

From the mountains of Dagestan comes yet another fighter, Usman Nurmagomedov, who seems destined for greatness. The 26-year-old fighter was last seen in action in October 2023, and many felt his long break would hamper his performances. But the Bellator champion silenced everyone with his performance and went the full distance against an opponent who once seemed unbeatable. So what’s next for the lightweight champion? It seems he will be following the footsteps of his cousin brothers and continuing the ‘dynasty’.

After the fight, Khabib Nurmagomedov entered the Bellator cage and was proud of the performance of his student. The former lightweight champion always rated Usman Nurmagomedov very highly and was not surprised with his performance. He then took time to appreciate him and said, “I think Usman is right now one of the best lightweights in the world. I was before, now it’s our brother Islam [Makhachev], and Usman is next. This is dynasty.” There’s one more fighter in the Dagestani camp who is waiting to get his hands on the bantamweight title, and that’s Umar Nurmagomedov. The 28-year-old is currently unbeaten in the UFC and will face the winner of the UFC 306 clash.

It will now be interesting to see whether he can win the title in a new division and carry the legacy forward. How highly do you rate the fighters from Dagestan? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.