Usman Nurmagomedov defended his Bellator title and the Dagestani family remains undefeated!

The surname Nurmagomedov within mixed martial arts exudes a status of invincibility. Opponents thus search in vain for a way to win against the Dagestani’s unpleasant style.

Khabib Nurmagomedov has taken up coaching since the death of his father

Usman Nurmagomedov made the first defense of his lightweight title for the organization at Friday’s Bellator gala. That leaves the Nurmagomedov family still undefeated in MMA. So let’s take a look at the career of one of the most feared names in the combat sports world.

Khabib Nurmagomedov became a true MMA legend under the tutelage of his father Abdulmanap. His unpleasant style, when with an almost inexhaustible physical fund he tormented by constant pressure of one opponent after another, is widely well known.

Since his arrival in the UFC in 2012, he has dominated every fight and even after the protracted injuries that plagued him in 2015, he has always returned with the same display to become the lightweight champion. He even defended his title three times against the division’s top contenders to remain undefeated in his career with a 29-0 record.

However, after the death of his father and his last title defense against Justin Gaethje, he surprisingly quit his career at the request of his mother and began training MMA. Among the great hopes among Khabib’s charges, besides UFC champion Islam Makhachev, are his cousins Usman and Umar. Let’s take a look at the careers of both young men.

Khabib’s cousins Umar and Usman continue his legacy

The elder Umar Nurmagomedov became an amateur MMA world champion at just 20 years old. But after making the transition to the pros, he has been dominant in wrestling and grappling in particular, much like his famous cousin. After winning a title in Russia’s Fight Nights Global organization and two clear-cut victories in the overseas PFL, he made his way to the UFC at the age of 25.

In the biggest MMA league in the world, he scored the performance of the night bonus in his very first fight and is currently ranked 11th in the UFC bantamweight division. With a record of 16-0, he remains undefeated and is heading towards the top of the division by leaps and bounds.

It was 24-year-old Usman who followed in similar footsteps as his brother and he too is a product of Abdulmanap’s Eagle MMA gym. But while the elder Umar is very similar in style to the famous Khabib, Usman also has a number of KO/TKOs to his name among the pros.

He signed with Bellator overseas in 2021, where he became lightweight champion after just five fights. He then defended his title at the organization’s tournament on Friday, where he choked out challenger Benson Henderson in the first round and still hasn’t tasted the bitterness of defeat with a 17-0 score.

Thus, he continues his cousin’s legacy in the same way Khabib himself did. Dominance in fights and constant pressure on opponents are still skills that their opponents have not yet been able to challenge.

Source: Sherdog, Wikipedia, Bellator, UFC, Twitter account – MMA Uncensored