ONE Championship continues to sign top-caliber talent in the industry. Khabib Nurmagomedov announced via Twitter that his "brother" Sagyid Izagakhmaev is the latest to sign with the Asia-based MMA organization
The deal was brokered by ONE Championship chairman and CEO Chatri Sityodong, whom Nurmagomedov thanked in his social media post. Izagakhmaev is not biologically related to Khabib but both fighters trained together at the Eagle MMA stable.
Heading into his ONE Championship debut in the near future, Izagakhmaev carries an impressive 19-2 professional record. He is at the prime age of 27 and has been competing as a welterweight.
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Just like his world-famous stablemate, Izagakhmaev also comes from Makhachkala, Dagestan in Russia. 12 of his victories have come via submission and two from knockout.
Izagakhmaev's has fought for many different MMA organizations such as the Gorilla Fighting Championship, Fight Nights Global, ID MMA Promotion and Open Dag Fighting Championship.
His most recent matchup happened in September where he took on Maxim Butorin in the Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov In Memory Tournament. He won that match via a rear-naked choke at the 4:41 mark of the second round.
One of his two losses happened during UAE Warriors 15 in January 2021. His opponent was Carlson Harris and he lost in the second round via brabo choke submission.
Who will be his debut opponent in ONE Championship?
It is intriguing who Izagakhmaev's first opponent will be in ONE Championship this coming December. The current title holder in ONE Championship is Kiamrian Abbasov from Kygyzstan and it wouldn't be a surprise if Chatri Sityodong puts Izagakhamev in a title fight.
Nonetheless, if Izagakhmaev needs a match to prove his worth for a title shot, he can go through a fighter like James Nakashima or Zebastian Kadestam.
Another blockbuster possibility is going up against Shiya Aoki who has experience fighting at welterweight. However, the Japanese fighter seems to be waiting on 'Sexyama' to accept his challenge and fight in December after their initial match date in September was delayed.