Umar Nurmagomedov is the latest fighter bearing his surname to grace the UFC cage – and he’s already one-upped his cousin Khabib.
At UFC on ESPN 20 on Wednesday, Nurmagomedov (13-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) made his long-anticipated UFC debut after three cancellations. Nurmagomedov put on a tactical, multifaceted performance and ended the fight with a technical submission at the 3:39 mark of Round 2.
The beginning of the end for Morozov (16-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) was a beautiful double-leg takedown by Nurmagomedov. When Morozov stood up, Nurmagomedov remained relentless. After he swung to the back and dumped Morozov to the ground again, Nurmagomedov worked his submission along the fence. Nurmagomedov got his hands into position, pulled Morozov backward, and put his opponent to sleep.
Following the announcement of the official decision, Nurmagomedov was joined by Khabib, who served as both cornerman and translator.
“He talked about me,” Khabib translated. “Nine years ago today, Jan. 20, 2012, I beat my opponent like this with this choke. Today, he did this. But I did it in the third round. He did it in the second round.”
Check out Nurmagomedov’s finish and subsequent interview in the videos below:
Put him to sleep 😴@UmarNmgdv locked up the choke at #UFCFightIsland8 pic.twitter.com/FgHcjhEf1Y
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 20, 2021
Exactly nine years after @TeamKhabib's UFC debut, his cousin @UmarNmgdv made his own UFC debut and one-upped The Eagle 😅 #UFCFightIsland8 pic.twitter.com/slLu8zuO2T
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 20, 2021
UFC on ESPN 20 took place Wednesday at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The card aired on ESPN.
