UFC Vegas 87: Umar Nurmagomedov gets dropped by Bekzat Almakhan in first minute of Round 1, comes back to win via UD in dominant showing

The Umar Nurmagomedov hype nearly ended in just 30 seconds at UFC Vegas 87.

Nurmagomedov, 16-0 and 4-0 in the octagon heading into the March 2 bout closed as the largest favorite of the fight card against the UFC debutant Bekzat Almakhan. Almakhan entered the fight at 16-1 with 13 knockout wins and undefeated since 2020.

While many expected 'The Young Eagle' to dominate an inexperienced fighter, Almakhan surprised many by catching the no. 13 ranked bantamweight with a right hook to the temple and nearly pulling off an electric first-round upset.

The knockdown was the first of Nurmagomedov's now 17-fight career, having previously dominated each opponent from start to finish.

However, without even allowing the broadcast booth to fully digest the exchange, Nurmagomedov recovered immediately to complete a single-leg takedown to control the rest of the fight. Almakhan would have little success in the rest of the 15-minute fight, losing the remaining rounds to keep Nurmagomedov undefeated.

As his nickname suggests, Nurmagomedov is the younger cousin of former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. The fighter's older brother, Usman Nurmagomedov, is also a lightweight champion, being the defending titleholder with Bellator prior to the promotion's purchase by the PFL.

Nurmagomedov entered the fight off of a 13-month layoff, last impressing with a brutal knockout of Raoni Barcelos at UFC Vegas 67. The 28-year-old has voiced his frustration with not finding a willing opponent on social media since, thus leading to a matchup with Almakhan.

With the win, Nurmagomedov added Almakhan to his list of victories in the octagon after previously defeating Sergey Morozov, Brian Kelleher, Nate Maness, and Barcelos. The Dagestani has yet to face a ranked opponent in the UFC.

Following his surprisingly dramatic and exciting victory, Nurmagomedov called out Cory Sandhagen for his next outing after the pair were originally booked for a main event at UFC Nashville in August 2023.