Tag: Umar Nurmagomedov

Nate Maness: Nurmagomedov Name Has Skewed Odds Disrespectfully

UFC bantamweight Nate Maness believes that more than just the perception of his matchup against Umar Nurmagomedov has gone into forming the lopsided odds for their fight. While tonight’s card perhaps lacks the star power and name-value of the last two, UFC 275 and UFC Austin, the promotion’s return to Las Vegas’ Apex facility is…

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UFC bantamweight Nate Maness believes that more than just the perception of his matchup against Umar Nurmagomedov has gone into forming the lopsided odds for their fight.

While tonight’s card perhaps lacks the star power and name-value of the last two, UFC 275 and UFC Austin, the promotion’s return to Las Vegas’ Apex facility is still bringing some intriguing matchups along with it, one of which pits in-form 135-pound prospects Maness and Nurmagomedov together.

With a combined record of 28-1, the pair are certainly two of the more notable rising bantamweights, with one looking to take a step closer to the rankings at the other’s expense.

For Maness, his UFC Vegas 57 appearance will mark his fourth walk to the Octagon. “Mayhem,” a former TKO Bantamweight Champion, has gone 3-0 under the UFC banner. After debuting with a unanimous decision victory over Johnny Muñoz Jr., Maness extended his overall win streak to four with a pair of second-round finishes against Luke Sanders and Tony Gravely.

But despite his unblemished UFC record and two-fight stoppage streak, Maness will enter his fourth Octagon outing as a sizable underdog. On BetOnline.ag, the Tennessee native sits at +650, while Umar, the younger cousin of GOAT contender Khabib Nurmagomedov, holds favorite status at an eyebrow-raising -1200.

While he acknowledged his opponent’s talent during his appearance at UFC Vegas 57 media day, Maness did suggest that the majorly-lopsided odds, which he branded as “disrespectful,” are down to the fact he’s fighting a Nurmagomedov, rather than a gap in skill.

“He’s great. I don’t think anyone can watch him and say that he’s not great. (But), you know, the odds show a little bit disrespectful towards my side I think,” said Maness. “(It’s) just ’cause of that last name. I’m coming to fight… these are the fights I want.

“I think it’s good for my friends. Man, they’ve made all kinds of money since I’ve been in the UFC. So, it’s all good,” added Maness. “I mean, (Nurmagomedov) is great, he’s a great fighter. I don’t have too many bad things to say about Umar.”

While some would agree with Maness’ assessment of Nurmagomedov’s -1200 line, the Dagestani has certainly justified the hype surrounding him so far in the UFC.

In two appearances, the 26-year-old has extended his unblemished professional résumé to 14-0 courtesy of a pair of rear-naked choke submission victories over Sergey Morozov and Brian Kelleher.

While Maness is expecting to give the AKA product his toughest test to date tonight, Nurmagomedov will be targeting another dominant performance and an ascension closer to the top 15 as he looks to following in the footsteps of his older cousin.

Who do you think will have their hand raised at UFC Vegas 57, Nate Maness or Umar Nurmagomedov?

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Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Nate Maness Targeted For June 25 UFC Event

UFC featherweight prospect Umar Nurmagomedov is set for his latest challenge inside the Octagon, as he’ll meet Nate Maness at an upcoming UFC Fight Night. On June 25, Umar, the cousin of lightweight legend Khabib Nurmagomedov, will be looking to extend his perfect record at the expense Tennessee native Maness, who has fallen to defeat…

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UFC featherweight prospect Umar Nurmagomedov is set for his latest challenge inside the Octagon, as he’ll meet Nate Maness at an upcoming UFC Fight Night.

On June 25, Umar, the cousin of lightweight legend Khabib Nurmagomedov, will be looking to extend his perfect record at the expense Tennessee native Maness, who has fallen to defeat just once in his professional career.

News of the bout, expected to take place inside Las Vegas’ Apex facility, was first reported by MMA News’ James Lynch.

Nurmagomedov (14-0) has had an impressive start to his Octagon career, recording back-to-back submission victories over Sergey Morozov and UFC veteran Brian Kelleher, the latter of whom fell to the Russian at March’s UFC 272 pay-per-view.

With the pair of finishes, the 26-year-old added numbers six and seven to his submission tally, which is comprised of six rear-naked chokes and one Peruvian necktie. He’ll look to add another stoppage to his résumé this summer.

In his way of doing so will be Maness (14-1), whose sole defeat to MMA Factory product Taylor Lapilus is all that separates his record from Nurmagomedov’s. Since joining the UFC in 2020, “Mayhem” has gone 3-0, a record that includes a TKO win against Tony Gravely and a submission victory over Luke Sanders.

Having not competed since last September, Maness will be looking to open his 2022 account by halting the surge of the highly-touted Nurmagomedov. But with Umar being spurred on by Khabib and the rest of the American Kickboxing Academy team, adding the first blemish to his record will be no easy task.

The fights currently expected to take place on the June 25 card are as follows:

Neil Magny vs. Shavkat Rakhmonov (welterweight)

Arman Tsarukyan vs. Mateusz Gamrot (lightweight)

Tim Elliott vs. Amir Albazi (flyweight)

Chris Curtis vs. Rodolfo Vieira (middleweight)

Thiago Moisés vs. Christos Giagos (lightweight)

Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Nate Maness (featherweight)

Tagir Ulanbekov vs. Tyson Nam (flyweight)

Raulian Paiva vs. Sergey Morozov (bantamweight)

TJ Brown vs. Shayilan Nuerdanbieke (featherweight)

Jinh Yu Frey vs. Vanessa Demopoulos (women’s strawweight) 

Cody Durden vs. JP Buys (flyweight)

Josh Parisian vs. Alan Baudot (heavyweight)

Who do you think will have their hand raised at the June 25 UFC Fight Night, Umar Nurmagomedov or Nate Maness?

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Umar Nurmagomedov Moves To 14-0, Submits Brian Kelleher – UFC 272 Highlights

Umar NurmagomedovUmar Nurmagomedov continues to turn in eye-catching performances — this time at the featherweight limit, making relatively short work of Brian Kelleher to land an impressive first round rear-naked choke on the early preliminary card of UFC 272. Nurmagomedov, the cousin of former undisputed UFC lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov — who was in the former’s […]

Umar Nurmagomedov

Umar Nurmagomedov continues to turn in eye-catching performances — this time at the featherweight limit, making relatively short work of Brian Kelleher to land an impressive first round rear-naked choke on the early preliminary card of UFC 272.

Nurmagomedov, the cousin of former undisputed UFC lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov — who was in the former’s corner, managed to leap on the back of Kelleher at the Octagon fence just beyond the third minute of the opening frame — eventually linking his hands beneath the neck of Kelleher — forcing a submission stoppage victory.

Following the victory, the undefeated Nurmagomedov announced his intentions to return to his usual bantamweight limit of 135lbs for his next Octagon outing.

Below, catch the highlights from Umar Nurmagomedov’s submission win over Brian Kelleher

Cormier Names Which UFC Prospect Impressed The Most In 2021 Debut

Former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier has named Umar Nurmagomedov as the 2021 UFC debutant who impressed him the most.

Umar, the cousin of former undefeated UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, made his first appearance in the Oc…

Daniel Cormier

Former two-division UFC champion Daniel Cormier has named Umar Nurmagomedov as the 2021 UFC debutant who impressed him the most.

Umar, the cousin of former undefeated UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, made his first appearance in the Octagon in the promotion’s second card of the year. Before establishing his name on MMA’s biggest stage, the 25-year-old had built an unblemished 12-0 record that included six submission triumphs.

At UFC Fight Night: Chiesa vs. Magny on Abu Dhabi’s Fight Island, Nurmagomedov returned to action for the first time since 2019, squaring off against Kazakhstan’s Sergey Morozov, who was also debuting that night. With “The Eagle” in his corner, the Russian prospect got off to the perfect start in the UFC, submitting Morozov with a second-round rear-naked choke.

Cormier Chooses Umar Over Garry & Pimblett

For color commentator Cormier, who trained at American Kickboxing Academy alongside Khabib and the UFC’s large Dagestani contingent, Umar made the biggest splash out of any debuting UFC prospect in 2021. That’s despite a host of exciting new talents making themselves known in the Octagon across the last 12 months.

Among them are Ireland’s Ian Garry and England’s Paddy Pimblett. While Garry, tipped by many to be the next Conor McGregor, delivered a highlight-reel knockout against Jordan Williams at Madison Square Garden in November, Pimblett delivered on his promise to finish Luigi Vendramini inside one round two months prior.

But despite both men finishing their opponents inside the opening frame, the pair experienced early adversity and perhaps displayed less sound defense than Nurmagomedov.

Speaking on a recent episode of DC & RC, Cormier cited the less-clean nature of Pimblett and Garry’s debuts as his reason for choosing the Russian.

“He (Pimblett) got hurt. Great performance, but he got hurt. I think I’m gonna do Ian Garry, was Ian Garry hurt? I think Ian Garry got hurt… I’m tapping out, only because they got hurt a little, but still, very impressed by Paddy, and very, very impressed by Ian Garry.

“This guy, this guy right here (Umar Nurmagomedov). That’s the guy that had the most impressive debut for a prospect. But I forgot about it. Like John said on ABC, it seems so far away. But you remember, Ryan. You remember Umar Nurmagomedov, right? Yes. Him taking the guy down, and choking him out; the whole thing, right? ‘I made my debut better than Khabib,’ that’s the performance. That’s the one. And guess what? He was clean. That’s the performance for me that I’m gonna say was the most elite prospect debut in the UFC.” (h/t Sportskeeda)

https://www.instagram.com/p/CKRjRF9r4yS/

Having not appeared since his debut victory in January, Umar looked set for the chance to continue his rise up the bantamweight ladder in the first quarter of 2022. The 25-year-old was booked to face UK prospect Jack Shore on the March 19 UFC Fight Night card. The event is expected to signal the promotion’s return to London, England.

However, Nurmagomedov has been forced to withdraw and has been replaced by his compatriot Timur Valiev. With that in mind, the wait for the highly-touted prospect’s return goes on.

Which UFC prospect impressed you the most in their debut this year?

Continue Reading Cormier Names Which UFC Prospect Impressed The Most In 2021 Debut at MMA News.

Javier Mendez Expects Umar Nurmagomedov To Become Eventual UFC Champion

Nurmagomedov family gracie comparisonJavier Mendez expects another Nurmagomedov to become champion. Khabib Nurmagomedov recently retired following his lightweight title defense in October and despite UFC president Dana White’s best efforts, it looks like it will remain that way. However, American Kickboxing Academy head coach Mendez believes “The Eagle’s” cousin in Umar Nurmagomedov could very well be the next […]

Nurmagomedov family gracie comparison

Javier Mendez expects another Nurmagomedov to become champion.

Khabib Nurmagomedov recently retired following his lightweight title defense in October and despite UFC president Dana White’s best efforts, it looks like it will remain that way.

However, American Kickboxing Academy head coach Mendez believes “The Eagle’s” cousin in Umar Nurmagomedov could very well be the next UFC champion within two years in the bantamweight division.

“I’ve been saying it, in five or six fights, I expect him to be fighting for a title, and I believe we’re seeing a new champion, 100 percent,” Mendez told MMA Junkie. “He still has some improvements to make, but he’s going to make them. And yeah, you will be seeing him with the strap in five or six fights from now.”

The younger Nurmagomedov signed with the UFC in early 2020 but only made his highly-anticipated debut last month due to a number of reasons including the COVID-19 pandemic.

He comfortably defeated Sergey Morozov via second-round submission to enjoy a successful UFC debut.

“It was really nice to finally see him get this opportunity after so many things have happened,” Mendez added. “It was nice for him to do it as the same date as Khabib – Jan. 20 is the same date Khabib entered (the UFC), and the choke was the same as Khabib’s choke, so all those combined, it was an incredible experience.

“He came in not a Khabib prodigy, he came in as Umar. He’s just himself, and he showed what great talent he has and diversity in different techniques. But father’s plan is still best plan for Team Eagle, and he showed that, too. He also showed these guys can strike, too.”

Perhaps we could see him collide with fellow Russian and current bantamweight champion Petr Yan in a few years?

What do you think of Nurmagomedov’s potential?

Umar Nurmagomedov Out Of UFC 254 After Being Hospitalised

Umar Nurmagomedov has been ruled out of UFC 254Umar Nurmagomedov has been ruled out of UFC 254 after the Russian Bantamweight was hospitalised with illness, less than one week from his UFC debut in Abu Dhabi. (H/T MMA Junkie) Nurmagomedov is currently 12-0 in MMA and was set to make his UFC debut against former M-1 Global bantamweight champion Sergei Morozov, who was […]

Umar Nurmagomedov has been ruled out of UFC 254

Umar Nurmagomedov has been ruled out of UFC 254 after the Russian Bantamweight was hospitalised with illness, less than one week from his UFC debut in Abu Dhabi. (H/T MMA Junkie)

Nurmagomedov is currently 12-0 in MMA and was set to make his UFC debut against former M-1 Global bantamweight champion Sergei Morozov, who was also awaiting his UFC debut. The bout was supposed to take place on the prelims of UFC 254, which is headlined by Umar’s cousin, Khabib Nurmagomedov who fights Justin Gaetjhe.

The news was initially reported by Russian news agency TASS that Nurmagomedov had been hospitalized with “severe flu, fever and vomiting,” the news was late confirmed by the UFC Lightweight Champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov on Instagram, Khabib said that his cousins symptoms were the result of a staph infection.

Posting to his 21.8 million followers on Instagram, Khabib wrote: “The last few days, Umar has been in a hotel with a high fever, which was caused by a staphylococcal infection. But despite this, he and our entire team were determined that he would perform on October 24th. This morning, before our flight to Abu Dhabi, he got worse and was hospitalized in Dubai. Get well brother, so it was meant to be.”

This is now the third time that Umar Nurmagomedov has missed out on his debut booking with the UFC. He was first booked to fight Hunter Azure at UFC 249 but similar to his cousin Khabib he was unable to make the fight due to Covid-19 restrictions. He was then supposed to fight Nathaniel Wood at UFC on ESPN 14 but pulled out of the fight after the death of his uncle and coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.

Khabib will now have to defend his Lightweight title on a card without his cousin. The Eagle will be hoping to go 29-0 when he takes on the Interim Lightweight Champion Justin Gaethje at UFC 254 on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

Do you think Umar Nurmagomedov will be a threat to the UFC’s bantamweight division when he makes debut?