Usman Nurmagomedov

In this name that follows East Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Magomednabiyevich and the family name is Nurmagomedov.
Usman Nurmagomedov
Nurmagomedov in 2022
BornUsman Magomednabiyevich Nurmagomedov[1]
(1998-04-17) 17 April 1998
Kizilyurt, Dagestan, Russia
Native nameУсман Нурмагомедов
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight155 lb (70 kg; 11 st 1 lb)
DivisionLightweight
Reach72 in (183 cm)
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofMakhachkala, Dagestan, Russia
TeamEagles MMA
American Kickboxing Academy
TrainerAbdulmanap Nurmagomedov (former)
Javier Mendez
Khabib Nurmagomedov
Years active2017–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total22
Wins21
By knockout8
By submission7
By decision6
Losses0
No contests1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Usman Magomednabiyevich Nurmagomedov[a] (born 17 April 1998) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Professional Fighters League (PFL), where he is the current and inaugural PFL Lightweight World Champion. He formerly competed in Bellator MMA, where he was the last Lightweight World Champion. He has also previously competed in the UAE Warriors and Eagle Fighting Championship (then Gorilla Fighting Championship). As of January 27, 2026, he is #1 in the PFL men's pound-for-pound rankings.[2]

He is the younger brother of UFC fighter Umar Nurmagomedov and a cousin of former UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.[3]

Background

Usman Nurmagomedov was born on 17 April 1998 in the city of Kizilyurt, Republic of Dagestan, Russia.[4][5]

As a child, living in his native village, with his brother Umar Nurmagomedov, he began to attend freestyle wrestling practice at the age of eight. Once his brother Umar began to practice Thai boxing, Usman followed suit.[6][7][4]

After moving to Makhachkala, Usman began training with his uncle, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov at the Eagles MMA camp. There he gained sambo skills and trained alongside teammates such as his cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev. He is of Avar ethnic origin.[6]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Nurmagomedov's professional MMA career began on March 26, 2017, in Moscow at the Moscow Pankration Federation promotion tournament. His opponent was Imran Abdiev. Usman won his first professional fight via armbar in the first round.[8][9]

Nurmagomedov would continue fighting in various organizations such as the GFC and UAE Warriors, winning his next 10 fights. All but one of these fights were won by a knockout or submission.[10] After winning his 11th professional fight in the Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov Memory Tournament, Usman signed a multi-fight contract with Bellator.[11] According to MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, he is considered to be a "major prospect" in the sport.[12]

Bellator MMA

In his stateside and Bellator debut on April 2, 2021, at Bellator 255, Nurmagomedov fought Mike Hamel. Primarily using his significant reach advantage, Usman focused on throwing kicks and not letting Hamel get into range. At times when Hamel did close the distance, Nurmagomedov took the fight to the ground. He won the fight via Unanimous Decision.[13]

In his second fight for Bellator on July 31, 2021, at Bellator 263, Nurmagomedov faced Luis "Manny" Muro. After landing a successful knee that caused Muro to fall to the floor, Nurmagomedov followed through with hammerfists causing the referee to stop the fight in round 1.[14][15]

Usman's next fight was at Bellator 269 on October 23, 2021, where he faced Patrik Pietilä at a catchweight bout at 160 lbs. After using his kicks from a distance, Nurmagomedov took the fight to the ground once Pietila closed the distance. Taking his back, Nurmagomedov locked in a rear-naked choke, and won the fight by submission in the first round.[16]

Nurmagomedov then faced Chris Gonzalez on July 22, 2022, at Bellator 283. After tripping Gonzalez, Usman locked in a guillotine choke and got the tap. He won the fight via Submission in the first round.[17]

Bellator lightweight champion

Usman faced Patricky Pitbull for the Bellator Lightweight World Championship at Bellator 288 on November 18, 2022.[18] He defeated him in dominant fashion, winning the belt and the bout via unanimous decision.[19]

Lightweight Grand Prix and title defenses

Nurmagomedov was announced as one of the participants of the Bellator Lightweight Grand Prix, which has a grand prize of $1 million. On March 10, 2023, Usman defended his title in the quarterfinal of the Grand Prix against former WEC and UFC Lightweight Champion Benson Henderson at Bellator 292.[20] He won the fight quickly, dropping Henderson with a question-mark kick seconds into the fight, and then proceeding to take his back and win the fight with a rear-naked choke.[21]

In the semifinals, Nurmagomedov made his second title defense against former champion Brent Primus on 7 October 2023, at Bellator 300.[22] He originally won the fight by unanimous decision but that result was overturned by CSAC when Nurmagomedov tested positive for a prescription drug that contained a banned substance. He was suspended for 6 months, however due to the accidental nature of the ingestion, he was not stripped of the title.[23][24][25]

Nurmagomedov was scheduled to face Alexandr Shabliy for the Bellator Lightweight World Championship on May 17, 2024, at Bellator Champions Series 2.[26] However, Nurmagomedov withdrew due to injury and the bout was scrapped.[27] The bout was rescheduled and eventually took place on September 7, 2024 at Bellator Champions Series 4.[28] Nurmagomedov won the fight by unanimous decision.[29]

Nurmagomedov next defended his championship against former Cage Warriors Featherweight Champion Paul Hughes on January 25, 2025 in the main event of PFL Champions Series 1.[30] Despite a point deduction in round 3 due to an accidental groin shot, he won the fight by majority decision.[31]

A rematch between Nurmagomedov and Paul Hughes was confirmed for PFL Champions Series 3 as the headliner in Dubai, for the inaugural PFL Lightweight World Championship.[32] On October 3, 2025, at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, Nurmagomedov won by unanimous decision after five rounds, with judges scoring 50–45, 49–46, and 48–47 in his favor.[33][34][35] The disparity in judge scorecards—especially the 50–45 card—led to controversy and debate among fans and media over judging in closely contested fights.[36][37]

Nurmagomedov made his first defense of the PFL Lightweight Championship against 2025 PFL Lightweight Tournament winner Alfie Davis on February 7, 2026, at PFL Champions Series 5.[38][39][40][41] He won the bout via submission in the third round.[42]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts record

Professional record breakdown
22 matches 21 wins 0 losses
By knockout 8 0
By submission 7 0
By decision 6 0
No contests 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 21–0 (1) Alfie Davis Technical Submission (reverse arm-triangle choke) PFL Dubai: Nurmagomedov vs. Davis February 7, 2026 3 4:41 Dubai, United Arab Emirates Defended the PFL Lightweight World Championship.
Win 20–0 (1) Paul Hughes Decision (unanimous) PFL Champions Series 3 October 3, 2025 5 5:00 Dubai, United Arab Emirates Won the inaugural PFL Lightweight World Championship.
Win 19–0 (1) Paul Hughes Decision (majority) PFL Champions Series 1 January 25, 2025 5 5:00 Dubai, United Arab Emirates Defended the Bellator Lightweight World Championship. Nurmagomedov was deducted one point in round 3 due to repeated groin kicks.
Win 18–0 (1) Alexandr Shabliy Decision (unanimous) Bellator Champions Series 4 September 7, 2024 5 5:00 San Diego, California, United States Defended the Bellator Lightweight World Championship.
NC 17–0 (1) Brent Primus NC (overturned) Bellator 300 October 7, 2023 5 5:00 San Diego, California, United States Bellator Lightweight World Grand Prix Semifinal. Retained the Bellator Lightweight World Championship. Originally a unanimous decision win for Nurmagomedov; overturned after he tested positive for a banned substance.
Win 17–0 Benson Henderson Submission (rear-naked choke) Bellator 292 March 10, 2023 1 2:37 San Jose, California, United States Bellator Lightweight World Grand Prix Quarterfinal. Defended the Bellator Lightweight World Championship.
Win 16–0 Patricky Pitbull Decision (unanimous) Bellator 288 November 18, 2022 5 5:00 Chicago, Illinois, United States Won the Bellator Lightweight World Championship.
Win 15–0 Chris Gonzalez Submission (guillotine choke) Bellator 283 July 22, 2022 1 2:54 Tacoma, Washington, United States
Win 14–0 Patrik Pietilä Submission (rear-naked choke) Bellator 269 October 23, 2021 1 4:06 Moscow, Russia Catchweight (160 lb) bout.
Win 13–0 Manny Muro TKO (knee to the body) Bellator 263 July 31, 2021 1 3:30 Inglewood, California, United States
Win 12–0 Mike Hamel Decision (unanimous) Bellator 255 April 2, 2021 3 5:00 Uncasville, Connecticut, United States
Win 11–0 Svyatoslav Shabanov TKO (punches) FNG / GFC: Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov Memory Tournament September 9, 2020 2 3:37 Moscow, Russia
Win 10–0 Jerry Kvarnstrom TKO (punches and elbows) UAE Warriors 12 July 31, 2020 1 2:39 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Win 9–0 Ruslan Tuyakov TKO (knees) Gorilla Fighting 24 February 9, 2020 2 2:03 Saratov, Russia
Win 8–0 Roman Golovinov TKO (punches) UAE Warriors 9 November 29, 2019 1 1:45 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Win 7–0 Kazim Zhakhangirov Submission (guillotine choke) Gorilla Fighting 17 September 27, 2019 2 1:10 Atyrau, Kazakhstan
Win 6–0 Ruslan Hisamutdinov Decision (unanimous) Gorilla Fighting 15 July 28, 2019 3 5:00 Penza, Russia
Win 5–0 Brian Gonzalez TKO (punches) Gorilla Fighting 11 March 3, 2019 1 3:14 Penza, Russia Lightweight debut.
Win 4–0 Romeo Njia Submission (rear-naked choke) Battle on Volga 9 February 17, 2019 1 4:48 Moscow, Russia
Win 3–0 Issei Moriyama TKO (punches) Brave CF 21 December 28, 2018 1 N/A Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Win 2–0 Dmitriy Berestovskiy TKO (doctor stoppage) Battle on Volga 8 December 14, 2018 1 5:00 Samara, Russia
Win 1–0 Imran Abdiev Submission (armbar) MPF: Young Talents Cup 2017 March 26, 2017 1 1:51 Moscow, Russia Featherweight debut.

[44]

See also

References

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  2. ^ "PFL Rankings". pflmma.com. Retrieved 2026-02-05.
  3. ^ "Who is Khabib Nurmagomedov's Cousin, Umar Nurmagomedov?". EssentiallySports. 2020-02-28. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  4. ^ a b "Усман Нурмагомедов. Что надо знать о перспективном брате Хабиба". Рейтинг БК (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-09-06.
  5. ^ "Двоюродный брат Хабиба – тайский боксер. Он зрелищно дерется и вырубает, а в апреле дебютирует в Bellator". Sports.ru. 28 March 2021. Retrieved 2022-09-06.
  6. ^ a b ""Нурмагомедов в Bellator". Дебют Усмана Нурмагомедова". mma.metaratings.ru (in Russian). 2021-03-31. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
  7. ^ Априамов, Спорт Тема: UFC / Хабиб Нурмагомедов / Автор: Алексей (2020-10-19). "Усман Нурмагомедов, брат Хабиба Нурмагомедова, уедет работать в США". 1RRE. Retrieved 2022-09-06.
  8. ^ Sherdog.com. "Moscow Pankration Federation – Young Talents of Russia, Europe and Asia 2017". Sherdog. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
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  10. ^ Sherdog.com. "Usman Nurmagomedov MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography - Sherdog.com". Sherdog. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
  11. ^ Chiari, Mike. "Khabib Nurmagomedov's Cousin Usman Signs Multifight Contract with Bellator". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2022-09-05.
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  13. ^ "Bellator 255 results: Usman Nurmagomedov wins unanimous decision in Bellator debut". MMA Junkie. 2021-04-03. Retrieved 2022-05-24.
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  41. ^ "PFL: Road to Dubai returns as Usman Nurmagomedov defends lightweight title". Arab News. 20 November 2025. Retrieved 1 December 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  42. ^ "https://cagesidepress.com/2026/02/07/pfl-road-to-dubai-usman-nurmagomedov-submits-alfie-davis-retains-title/". cagesidepress.com. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  43. ^ Martin, Damon (28 December 2025). "MMA Fighting's 2025 Fight of the Year: Joshua Van vs. Brandon Royval". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 28 December 2025.
  44. ^ Sherdog.com. "Usman Nurmagomedov MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography - Sherdog.com". Sherdog. Retrieved 2022-05-24.

Notes

  1. ^ Russian: Усман Магомеднабиевич Нурмагомедов
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