Umar Nurmagomedov (L) of Russia and Sergey Morozov of Kazakhstan face off during the UFC weigh-in at Etihad Arena on UFC Fight Island on January 19, 2021 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Umar Nurmagomedov also won on his debut, like cousin Khabib, but there was more to the win
The Nurmagomedov family has another star in the making as Umar won on his UFC debut.
The 24-year-old is the cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov, the UFC Lightweight champion. Khabib is considered as one of the greatest MMA stars of all-time but this was Umar’s time to shine.
The 24-year-old faced Sergey Morozov and won in the second round. This was Umar’s 13th win in his MMA career and the Russian is yet to face defeat.
He has some way to go before he matches Khabib at 29-0 but there is a lot of hype surrounding the younger Nurmagomedov.
Umar was impressive but there was one striking similarity when compared to Khabib’s debut.
Both stars used the same choke to get the win on their respective UFC debuts. Khabib and Umar both used a rear-naked choke for the win.
Further, they both made their debuts on the same day of January, the 20th. Their debuts came nine years apart but both made talking points.
It will be interesting to see what is next for Umar after all this. He came in with a lot of hype and live up to the reputation.
Khabib might be retired from the UFC but he was present to celebrate with his cousin after the win. The UFC champion also reached out to Umar’s rival and shared his commiserations after the loss.
The UFC seems to have found another star to latch on to and this Nurmagomedov could be one of the biggest names in the coming years.
Khabib might be gone but Umar is here and he seems ready to take the promotion by storm.
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