Mixed martial arts is one of the most grueling sports in the world.
At its worst, it forces the best fighters on the planet to train for a potentially unpredictable 25-minute war. Planning against both a fighter and the unknown, competitors …
Mixed martial arts is one of the most grueling sports in the world.
At its worst, it forces the best fighters on the planet to train for a potentially unpredictable 25-minute war. Planning against both a fighter and the unknown, competitors must push themselves beyond the cusp of comfort in all aspects of the game.
Wrestlers must learn to strike. Strikers must learn to wrestle.
Accomplishing such tough tasks won’t come without peril—injuries plague this sport far too often. However, for every unfortunate injury any fighter faces in their professional career lies a proverbial silver lining.
The comeback.
Keep reading to see which injured fighters are poised to make immediate impacts upon their return to the cage. Don’t expect Anderson Silva, Anthony Pettis, Dominick Cruz or Cat Zingano to make this list—only fighters who are still on the mend without a scheduled fight on their horizon will be considered.
UFC lightweight contender Khabib Nurmagomedov has an old-school approach when it comes to fighting: Alcohol and women are a no-no if you want to be the best in the world.
Speaking with Russian media outlet ProSports.ru, (translated by MixedMartial…
UFC lightweight contender KhabibNurmagomedov has an old-school approach when it comes to fighting: Alcohol and women are a no-no if you want to be the best in the world.
Speaking with Russian media outlet ProSports.ru, (translated by MixedMartialArts.com), “The Eagle” explained why he has sworn off grabbing a drink or having an impromptu date with a female fan on the weekends.
There are fighters in America who can drink on Friday and Saturday. After an event I saw it myself in the hotel – 80% of them are already drunk. Not the champs but middle-of-the-pack guys, guys like one win, two losses. A couple of times they called me with them to the club. I told them I’m a Muslim. And they were like ‘Come on, we know two Muslims and they visit the clubs with us all the time!’ … Alcohol and girls stand in a way of an athlete, they spoil him and make him weak.
While some may say that the 25-year-old’s point of view is outdated, it’s flat-out impossible to argue with the results.
Nurmagomedov, the No. 3 lightweight in the world, according to the UFC’s official rankings, is 22-0 as a professional mixed martial artist—including a 6-0 run inside the Octagon.
Many agree that his recent convincing win over perennial contender Rafael dos Anjos at UFC on FOX 11 in April proved he’s ready for the big time.
The American Kickboxing Academy standout was briefly linked to what would’ve likely been a title eliminator bout with WEC import Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone at UFC 178 but had to withdraw almost immediately due to a knee injury, per MMA Fighting.
His co-manager, Mike Constantino, later confirmed that Nurmagomedov tore his right meniscus and would therefore be on the sidelines for at least six months, per MMA Junkie.
Up to this point, Nurmagomedov is yet to meet an opponent who has an answer for his takedowns and smothering top game. Plus, his striking chops continue to improve.
Should other fighters start following Nurmagomedov‘s lead and leave the partying lifestyle behind completely, or is this training theory simply not necessary in this day and age?
John Heinis is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. He is also the MMA editor for eDraft.com.
And so, Nurmy officially goes 1-0 in 2014, with his sole Octagon appearance resulting in a decision win against Rafael dos Anjos in April. With the lightweight division so crowded with contenders, a long layoff means that Nurmagomedov will have his work cut out for him when he returns, in terms of climbing back up the contender ladder. As for Cerrone, his next fight is once again TBA. Got any suggestions?
(Khabib Nurmagomedov and Rustam Khabilov — just a couple of legitimate businessmen. / Photo via TitoCouture.)
And so, Nurmy officially goes 1-0 in 2014, with his sole Octagon appearance resulting in a decision win against Rafael dos Anjos in April. With the lightweight division so crowded with contenders, a long layoff means that Nurmagomedov will have his work cut out for him when he returns, in terms of climbing back up the contender ladder. As for Cerrone, his next fight is once again TBA. Got any suggestions?
“The Eagle” will be grounded for the remainder of 2014.
That’s the news coming from Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com, who reports that Khabib Nurmagomedov will be out until January due to undergoing surgery for a torn meniscus.
Nurmagomedov and Do…
“The Eagle” will be grounded for the remainder of 2014.
Nurmagomedov and Donald Cerrone had agreements in place to face one another at UFC 178, but that’s obviously off the table now.
“That fight is made — it’s done,” UFC president Dana White said, per Helwani. “Twenty minutes later, [Nurmagomedov] went into the gym and blew his knee out. Twenty. F—ing. Minutes. Later.”
Nurmagomedov had surged up the lightweight rankings after running his professional record to 22-0, including a 6-0 run inside the Octagon. In his last outing, Nurmagomedov picked up the biggest win of his career with an unanimous-decision victory against Rafael dos Anjos back in April.
For Cerrone, it’s a huge damper on his plans to fight six times in 2014. The popular fighter has fought three times in the first half of 2014, picking up KO wins over Adriano Martins and Jim Miller along with a submission victory against EdsonBarboza.
I’m sure the UFC will work to get Cerrone an opponent in quick fashion, as he’s quickly become a favorite of White’s for his willingness to fight anyone, anywhere.
Outside of fans missing out on what was sure to be an awesome fight, the injury to Nurmagomedov adds another speed bump in getting to the top of the lightweight division moving.
Anthony Pettis has been out since winning the title in August of last year and won’t compete again until December. TJ Grant has been sidelined for what seems like an eternity with issues stemming from a concussion. Benson Henderson continues to chug along, taking fight after fight, but it may be in vain if Pettis can retain his title since Henderson has lost to Pettis on two separate occasions.
The Pettis injury, combined with he and Gilbert Melendez coaching on The Ultimate Fighter: 20, has created a bit of a logjam for contenders in the lightweight division. Now we can add Nurmagomedov‘s injury to the list of reasons why the division is at a standstill.
Donald Cerrone helped even the most cynical fans rekindle their love of MMA with his tantalizing fight with Jim Miller on Wednesday, and the future seemed even brighter when rumors swirled that he was set to face Dagestani sensation Khabib Nurmago…
Donald Cerrone helped even the most cynical fans rekindle their love of MMA with his tantalizing fight with Jim Miller on Wednesday, and the future seemed even brighter when rumors swirled that he was set to face Dagestani sensation Khabib Nurmagomedov.
When news broke that Cerrone vs. Nurmagomedov was booked for UFC 178, there was much rejoicing. When UFC President Dana White discussed how the operative word in that sentence is “was,” however, there was much melancholy.
According to White (h/t Chuck Mindenhall from MMAFighting.com), Nurmagomedov and Cerrone signed the contract, only for Nurmagomedov to suffer a serious injury just minutes later. “It was done. The bout agreements, done. Email went out last night from Joe Silva saying that this fight is done, both contracts were signed,” he said. “Boom, 20 minutes later, you’re not going to f—ing believe this, the fight is off.”
Cerrone and Nurmagomedov represent two of the hottest names in the lightweight division right now.
Cerrone, a top fighter in the WEC who has cemented himself as one of the best 155-pounders in the world in the years since, is on an impressive four-fight win streak. After dropping a troubling decision loss to Rafael dos Anjos in August 2013, Cerrone bounced back with an impressive submission win over Evan Dunham. From there he racked up three more stoppage victories over Adriano Martins, Edson Barboza and, most recently, Miller.
Nurmagomedov, meanwhile, has made waves with his ability to demolish solid lightweights. He made his UFC debut by submitting Kamal Shalorus and has since put up dominant wins over Gleison Tibau, Thiago Tavares, Abel Trujillo, Pat Healy and Rafael dos Anjos. He finds himself out indefinitely now, however, which puts his electrifying career on an awkward hold that could last for a full year.
The lone bright spot is that UFC 178 remains stacked. The card is headlined by the long-anticipated rematch between light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson and backed up by the returns of former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz (opposite Takeya Mizugaki) and women’s bantamweight contender Cat Zingano (opposite Amanda Nunes). Add in a big middleweight tilt between Tim Kennedy and Yoel Romero and a battle between welterweight strikers Patrick Cote and Stephen Thompson, and UFC 178 boasts an incredibly strong card on September 27.
Not only is it a fantastic matchup, it could potentially produce a title contender, as both men are currently hovering around the top of the 155-pound division. Cerrone’s knockout of Jim Miller on Wednesday was his fourth-straight victory, with all wins by stoppage (and all wins earning him a performance bonus).
Nurmagomedov is a perfect 6-0 in the UFC, and 22-0 (!) overall. He most recently out-pointed Rafael Dos Anjos in April, then decided to take the summer off due to Ramadan. After Cerrone’s win over Miller, Nurmy tweeted out the following:
Not only is it a fantastic matchup, it could potentially produce a title contender, as both men are currently hovering around the top of the 155-pound division. Cerrone’s knockout of Jim Miller on Wednesday was his fourth-straight victory, with all wins by stoppage (and all wins earning him a performance bonus).
Nurmagomedov is a perfect 6-0 in the UFC, and 22-0 (!) overall. He most recently out-pointed Rafael Dos Anjos in April, then decided to take the summer off due to Ramadan. After Cerrone’s win over Miller, Nurmy tweeted out the following:
While the fight will certainly be scheduled for three rounds, that’s more than enough time for Cowboy and the Eagle to put on an all-out war. Who ya got?
Donald Cerrone helped even the most cynical fans rekindle their love of 