Biography of Usman Nurmagomedov
Usman Magomednabievich Nurmagomedov – Russian athlete, mixed style fighter, performing in lightweight; World Junior Champion 2017. The younger brother of mixed martial arts wrestler Umar Nurmagomedov and cousin of UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
In the photo: Usman Nurmagomedov
Childhood and youth
Usman was born in the small Dagestan town of Kizilyurt. His date of birth is April 17, 1998. By nationality, the athlete is an Avar – a representative of the indigenous people of the Caucasus, who historically lives on the territory of Nagorno-Dagestan.
Usman became interested in wrestling as a child, when his older brother began to engage in freestyle wrestling. Somewhere at the age of eight, the boy signed up after him. For about four years he worked here, but then there were problems with the coaching staff in the section, the boy lost interest and quit.
Usman Nurmagomedov in his youth
For two years he did not go in for sports at all, and at the age of 14, again following his brother, he went to Thai boxing and soon achieved his first successes, began to travel to regional competitions.
At the age of 16, Usman moved to Makhachkala, where his uncle, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, a famous Soviet wrestler, an expert in sambo, judo and wrestling, already lived. After the end of his sports career, he became a coach and organized his own school, in which Usman began to study. Under the guidance of a famous relative, the young athlete’s skills began to grow exponentially. He began to take part in regional combat sambo tournaments and win prizes. In 2017, Usman Nurmagomedov became the world junior champion.
The son of Abdulmanap, another famous fighter, Khabib Nurmagomedov, also took an active part in the training of Usman. So, for example, it was Khabib who taught him grappling – a technique for dealing with the active use of grips.
In his spare time from training, Usman devoted himself to watching the fights of other athletes and learning various tricks that could help him in the future.
Sports career
Usman’s professional career began in 2017 when he took part in the Moscow Pankration Federation tournament in Moscow and defeated Imran Abdiev. This fight lasted only two minutes.
The young man won the next victory at the Battle on the Volga-8 tournament in Tolyatti. There he defeated Dmitry Berestovsky, using a series of jabs (long straight punches). Interestingly, the fight was stopped by the doctor, as Usman inflicted a deep cut on the opponent.
Usman before the fight
Usman’s first win at a tournament abroad came in Saudi Arabia. There, the athlete took part in the Brave CF 21 tournament, held on December 28, 2018. Usman defeated the Japanese Issei Moriyama, and the fight ended with a technical knockout in the first round.
In 2019, Usman again went to Togliatti for the Battle on the Volga-9 tournament, where he defeated Romeo Uma from Cameroon, forcing him to surrender.
In the same year, the young athlete became one of the leading wrestlers of the Gorilla Fighting promotion and began to actively participate in their tournaments. So at GFC-11, the wrestler defeated Brazilian Gabriel Barbosa, the owner of a black belt in jiu-jitsu, at GFC-15 he defeated another Russian Ruslan Khisamutdinov in three rounds, at GFC-17 he defeated Kyrgyz Kozim Zhakhongirov.
Usman next won at UAE Warriors 9 in Abu Dhabi. His opponent was Ukrainian Roman Golovinov, the fight lasted only 2 minutes: the referee stopped the fight when Usman pressed Roman to the net and delivered several powerful blows to his torso.
Usman Nurmagomedov in training
2020 again turned out to be a triumphant year for a wrestler from Dagestan. At GFC-24, he defeated Ruslan Tuyakov, and at the competition in Abu Dhabi – over Finn Jerry Kvarnstrom. Both he pushed back to the net.
In the fall of 2024, a tournament organized by Fight Night Global and Gorilla Fight Championship took place. It was dedicated to the memory of Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov – the coach died in July 2024 from the coronavirus. During the two-round fight, Usman defeated Svyatoslav Shabanov. He himself stopped the fight when the opponent injured his leg. Usman dedicated the victory to his uncle, recognizing that it was thanks to him that he reached such a level.
Usman after the fight with Svyatoslav Shabanov
In the same fall, Usman signed a contract with the American sports organization Bellator MMA, despite the fact that both of his brothers are in the UFC. Experts say it was a smart move for several reasons. In Bellator, he has much less competition in his weight than in the UFC, and the experience gained in the future can facilitate his transition to the UFC. In addition, the contract leaves him the opportunity to advertise the Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov school and Khabib’s protein bars, while advertising is prohibited in the UFC. In 2024, the wrestler began performing in the Bellator and immediately scored three victories. In April, he faced American Mike Hamil and defeated him 12-0 in three rounds. In the summer, his opponent was the American Luis Manny Muro. The fight ended with a technical knockout. In October, the athlete went against the Finn Patrik Pietila, whom he defeated by choke hold.
Since 2024, Usman Nurmagomedov has been performing as part of Bellator
Personal life of Usman Nurmagomedov
In November 2024, information appeared on Gorilla Fighting Instagram that Usman got married. About who became the wife of the athlete, not reported.
Usman got married in 2024
Usman Nurmagomedov now. Hitting a policeman
In the fall of 2024, after defeating Patrick Pietila, Usman Nurmagomedov moved up to third place in the Bellator lightweight rankings. This happened due to the fact that the wrestler won all the fights he had in Bellator. On November 11, 2024, Usman Nurmagomedov was detained at Sheremetyevo Airport and a case was opened against him for hitting a policeman. Getting to the airport of the city of Kaspiysk, the athlete did not stop the car at the request of the policeman, but decided to go around it. Another policeman ran across him, and the law enforcement officer was hit by the front fender of the car. As a result, he received bruises of moderate severity and ended up in the hospital.
On November 15, 2024, it became known that the charges of hitting Usman were dropped, and he became a witness in the case. It is alleged that it was not he who was driving the car, but his friend Kamal Idrisov, although the driver was identified from a video recording – Usman was driving. Meanwhile, Kamal has been placed in a pre-trial detention center and faces up to ten years in prison.