Shamil Gaziev Ethnicity and Religion: Where Is the UFC Heavyweight From?

Undefeated UFC heavyweight prospect, Shamil Gaziev is gearing up to take on striking specialist Jairzinho Rozenstruik in the main event of UFC Fight Night 238. Ever since his pro-MMA debut in 2020, Gaziev has been on an absolute rampage. Despite making his professional MMA debut at 30 years old, considered relatively late in MMA, he has not lost once and does not seem to be slowing down.

Gaziev earned a UFC contract in September 2023 by beating Greg Velasco via a rear naked choke in the first round of their fight at Dana White’s Contender Series. He made his promotional debut just two months later at the UFC 296: Covington vs. Edwards, where he beat Martin Buday by TKO in the second round. Given that he is relatively new to the sport, most people don’t know where the UFC heavyweight is from. Here is a closer look at the nationality and ethnicity of Shamil Gaziev.

Shamil Gaziev: nationality and ethnicity

Shamil Gaziev is originally from Dagestan, Russia, but he represents the Bahrain flag in the UFC. In fact, he’s the first fighter to represent Bahrain in the UFC. Gaziev has trained under the late great Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, where he spent his early life training with the UFC legends Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev.

The Dagestani is a proud and devout Muslim and is quite respectful both inside and outside the Octagon. But once the cage closes, he brings out a side of him that most people find terrifying.

Shamil Gaziev has shown time and time again why he deserves to be inside the UFC. But how does he fare against a top prospect in Jairzinho Rozenstruik? Here is an in-depth comparison between the two fighters.

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Gaziev vs. Rozenstruik: head to head stats comparison

Shamil Gaziev has shown time and time again why he is a top fighter. He has a record of 12-0 with 11 of the 12 wins coming by way of finishes. According to the UFC website, he has a takedown defense of 100% and a knockdown average of 1.75, which is an incredible number paired with 6.19 significant strikes landed per minute.

Jairzinho Rozenstruik, on the other hand, has a 13-5 record with 12 of his wins coming by way of finishes. He has a takedown defense of 74% and a knockdown average of 1.14, with 2.81 significant strikes landed per minute.

Though it may seem like Shamil Gaziev has the edge in terms of their stats, who are you picking to win the main event of UFC Fight Night 238? Will Shamil Gaziev remain undefeated, or will Jairzinho Rozenstruik be the first person to hand the undefeated fighter his maiden loss?

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