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Is Umar Nurmagomedov the next big thing from Dagestan, following in Khabib's legendary footsteps?

Umar Nurmagomedov has a big connection to UFC Hall of Famer and former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. Both of their roots go back to Dagestan and the fighters hail from the rugged territory of Russia. However, unlike his cousin, he is in the bantamweight category.

His journey to MMA was a little different, with him starting with the smaller promotions in MMA and then fighting in the PFL or Professional Fighters League. Since he is in the Dagestani camp, he is of course from Russia, but what about his ethnicity and background? Let’s get to know him a bit more.

Where is Umar Nurmagomedov from? What is his ethnicity?

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The 28-year-old is from Dagestan in Russia and primarily his ethnicity is of Avar origin. He was already a child protegee because he became a combat sambo world champion at the tender age of 19 and won in the  62 kg division. The following year, he won the amateur mixed martial arts championship in the bantamweight category.

Umar Nurmagomedov has a brother who is also in UFC and his name is Usman Nurmagomedov. He was born in 1998 in the city of Kizilyurt and Umar was born on 3rd January 1996. Both the brothers started practicing Thai Boxing and then switched to other styles along the way. The brothers are cousins of Khabib Nurmagomedov and train with him in his camp. When the brothers shifted to Makhachkala, Khabib’s father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, became their coach.

Umar Nurmagomedov was supposed to debut at UFC 257, but his debut was affected because of The Eagle and Conor McGregor’s rivalry. His fight against Sergey Morozov was then rescheduled to the UFC on ESPN: Chiesa vs. Magny. Before that, he made his debut in professional MMA at Fight Nights Global57 on December 16, 2016, against Rishat Kharisov.

via Imago

Umar Nuemagomedov won the fight with a second-round guillotine choke, and that was the start of his glorious career. He once said in an interview for UFC’s official page that every kid in Dagestan trains to become a fighter and that is how he started as well. Moreover, his training was looked after by Khabib and his father so clearly nothing could go wrong.

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What’s your perspective on:

Is Umar Nurmagomedov the next big thing from Dagestan, following in Khabib's legendary footsteps?

Have an interesting take?

Is Umar Nurmagomedov related to Khabib and Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov?

Umar Nurmagomedov is Khabib’s cousin and the latter’s father is his uncle. This is why they have the same last name. On top of that, the late veteran coach is not only his uncle but was his trainer and taught him everything there is to know about Martial Arts. ‘Young Eagle’ is eager to show what he can do and even said once that he wants to prove that he can repeat his cousin’s success.

The young man even went to college and has a business management degree along with an amazing MMA record of 17-0-0. Umar Nurmagomedov was also a coach before he started fighting for the promotion. Right now, he is the 10th ranked fighter in the bantamweight charts and soon might rise in the ranks after his fight with number 2 ranked bantamweight Cory Sandhagen at UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi. 

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He also has a special nickname, which is ‘Young Eagle’ and decided to keep that moniker after his cousin Khabib. The former lightweight champ was known as ‘The Eagle’ inside the octagon and now the 28-year-old brother wants to continue the legacy and maintain the streak that his older brother created. He wants to be undefeated like his older cousin’s brother, who is also one of his coaches.

Do you think Umar Nurmagomedov will be able to achieve his dream? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.

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