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Usman Nurmagomedov is not biologically related to UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.
On March 10, Nurmagomedov defended the Bellator lightweight championship for the first time with a submission against Benson Henderson in the first round. During the post-fight celebration, Makhachev appeared in the cage after being in the corner of the Bellator 155-pound king.
Some fans wondered if Nurmagomedov was related to the UFC lightweight title holder. The simple answer is no. Although Makhachev has been a longtime training partner and friend of Usman, they are not biologically related. With that said, the Bellator lightweight champion is the younger cousin of Khabib Nurmegomedov, who was heavily involved in his career before taking a break from coaching MMA.
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After winning his only documented amateur MMA fight, Usman Nurmagomedov made his professional debut in 2017. The Dagestan native won his first eleven fights, including ten inside the distance and seven in the first round. In 2021, he fought under the Bellator banner for the first time, putting the division on notice with a unanimous decision win against Mike Hamel.
Nurmagomedov quickly moved up the Bellator lightweight division ranks, winning two more fights in 2021 against Manny Muro and Patrik Pietila. After getting his feet wet, the Russian defeated Chris Gonzalez to earn a title shot against Patricky Pitbull.
The Dagestan native took out Pitbull with a unanimous decision to become the Bellator lightweight king. At Bellator 292, Nurmagomedov won his first fight in the Lightweight Grand Prix by defeating Henderson in two and a half minutes.
What’s next for Usman Nurmagomedov?
Usman Nurmagomedov is leading the charge in the Bellator Lightweight Grand Prix. Now that he’s defeated Benson Henderson, the Dagestan native will fight the winner of Brent Primus vs. Mansour Barnaoui, which goes down on May 12 at Bellator 296.
Before Nurmagomedov defeated Henderson, Alexander Shabliy defeated Tofiq Musayev to kick off the tournament. The other quarterfinal matchup is Patricky Pitbull vs. AJ McKee Jr, which currently doesn’t have a date. Although anyone could emerge victorious from the Bellator Lightweight Grand Prix, the reigning champion is the favorite to retain his title and walk away with $1 million.
