Usman Nurmagomedov

Usman Magomednabiyevich Nurmagomedov (born 17 April 1998) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division as a free agent. He most notably competed in the Professional Fighters League (PFL), where he is the current and inaugural PFL Lightweight Champion. He formerly competed in Bellator MMA, where he was the last Lightweight World Champion. He has also previously competed in the UAE Warriors and Eagle Fighting Championship (then Gorilla Fighting Championship). As of January 27, 2026, he is #1 in the PFL men's pound-for-pound rankings.

He is the younger brother of UFC fighter Umar Nurmagomedov and a cousin of former UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.

Background Usman Nurmagomedov was born on 17 April 1998 in the city of Kizilyurt, Republic of Dagestan, Russia.

As a child, living in his native village, with his brother Umar Nurmagomedov, he began to attend freestyle wrestling practice at the age of eight. Once his brother Umar began to practice Thai boxing, Usman followed suit.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career Nurmagomedov's professional MMA career began on March 26, 2017, in Moscow at the Moscow Pankration Federation promotion tournament. His opponent was Imran Abdiev. Usman won his first professional fight via armbar in the first round.

Nurmagomedov would continue fighting in various organizations such as the GFC and UAE Warriors, winning his next 10 fights. All but one of these fights were won by a knockout or submission. After winning his 11th professional fight in the Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov Memory Tournament, Usman signed a multi-fight contract with Bellator. According to MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, he is considered to be a "major prospect" in the sport.

Bellator MMA In his stateside and Bellator debut on April 2, 2021, at Bellator 255, Nurmagomedov fought Mike Hamel. Primarily using his significant reach advantage, Usman focused on throwing kicks and not letting Hamel get into range. At times when Hamel did close the distance, Nurmagomedov took the fight to the ground. He won the fight via Unanimous Decision.

In his second fight for Bellator on July 31, 2021, at Bellator 263, Nurmagomedov faced Luis "Manny" Muro. After landing a successful knee that caused Muro to fall to the floor, Nurmagomedov followed through with hammerfists causing the referee to stop the fight in round 1.

Nurmagomedov's next fight was at Bellator 269 on October 23, 2021, where he faced Patrik Pietilä at a catchweight bout at 160 lbs. After using his kicks from a distance, Nurmagomedov took the fight to the ground once Pietila closed the distance. Taking his back, Nurmagomedov locked in a rear-naked choke, and won the fight by submission in the first round.

Nurmagomedov then faced Chris Gonzalez on July 22, 2022, at Bellator 283. After tripping Gonzalez, Usman locked in a guillotine choke and got the tap. He won the fight via Submission in the first round.

Bellator lightweight champion Nurmagomedov faced Patricky Pitbull for the Bellator Lightweight World Championship at Bellator 288 on November 18, 2022. He defeated him in dominant fashion, winning the belt and the bout via unanimous decision.

Lightweight Grand Prix and title defenses Nurmagomedov was announced as one of the participants of the Bellator Lightweight Grand Prix, which has a grand prize of $1 million. On March 10, 2023, Usman defended his title in the quarterfinal of the Grand Prix against former WEC and UFC Lightweight Champion Benson Henderson at Bellator 292. He won the fight quickly, dropping Henderson with a question-mark kick seconds into the fight, and then proceeding to take his back and win the fight with a rear-naked choke.

In the semifinals, Nurmagomedov made his second title defense against former champion Brent Primus on 7 October 2023, at Bellator 300. He originally won the fight by unanimous decision but that result was overturned by CSAC when Nurmagomedov tested positive for a prescription drug that contained a banned substance. He was suspended for 6 months, however due to the accidental nature of the ingestion, he was not stripped of the title.

Nurmagomedov was scheduled to face Alexandr Shabliy for the Bellator Lightweight World Championship on May 17, 2024, at Bellator Champions Series 2. However, Nurmagomedov withdrew due to injury and the bout was scrapped. The bout was rescheduled and eventually took place on September 7, 2024 at Bellator Champions Series 4. Nurmagomedov won the fight by unanimous decision.

Nurmagomedov next defended his championship against former Cage Warriors Featherweight Champion Paul Hughes on January 25, 2025 in the main event of PFL Champions Series 1. Despite a point deduction in round 3 due to an accidental groin shot, he won the fight by majority decision.

Professional Fighters League PFL Lightweight Champion and title defenses A rematch between Nurmagomedov and Hughes took place at PFL Champions Series 3 as the headliner in Dubai, for the inaugural PFL Lightweight Championship. On October 3, 2025, at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, Nurmagomedov won by unanimous decision after five rounds, with judges scoring 50–45, 49–46, and 48–47 in his favor. The disparity in judge scorecards—especially the 50–45 card—led to controversy and debate among fans and media over judging in closely contested fights.

Nurmagomedov made his first defense of the PFL Lightweight Championship against 2025 PFL Lightweight Tournament winner Alfie Davis on February 7, 2026, at PFL Champions Series 5. He won the bout via submission in the third round.

Nurmagomedov made his second title defense against former two-time NCAA Division I championship challenger, Archie Colgan, on July 31, 2026, at PFL New York. He won the fight in the first round by knockout, via punches. He defended the title via knockout in round one. This was the last fight on his contract with PFL.

Championships and accomplishments Professional Fighters League

Two successful title defenses Bellator MMA

Three successful title defenses MMA Fighting 2025 #2 Ranked Fight of the Year

Mixed martial arts record Win

Archie Colgan KO (punches) PFL New York: Nurmagomedov vs. Colgan

Elmont, New York, United States Win

Alfie Davis Technical Submission (reverse arm-triangle choke) PFL Dubai: Nurmagomedov vs. Davis

Dubai, United Arab Emirates Win

Paul Hughes Decision (unanimous) PFL Champions Series 3

Dubai, United Arab Emirates Win

Paul Hughes Decision (majority) PFL Champions Series 1

Dubai, United Arab Emirates Win

Alexandr Shabliy Decision (unanimous) Bellator Champions Series 4

San Diego, California, United States NC

Brent Primus NC (overturned) Bellator 300

San Diego, California, United States Win

Benson Henderson Submission (rear-naked choke) Bellator 292

San Jose, California, United States Win

Patricky Pitbull Decision (unanimous) Bellator 288

Chicago, Illinois, United States Win

Chris Gonzalez Submission (guillotine choke) Bellator 283

Tacoma, Washington, United States Win

Patrik Pietilä Submission (rear-naked choke) Bellator 269

Moscow, Russia Win

Manny Muro TKO (knee to the body) Bellator 263

Inglewood, California, United States Win

Mike Hamel Decision (unanimous) Bellator 255

Uncasville, Connecticut, United States Win

Svyatoslav Shabanov TKO (punches) FNG / GFC: Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov Memory Tournament

Moscow, Russia Win

Jerry Kvarnstrom TKO (punches and elbows) UAE Warriors 12

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Win

Ruslan Tuyakov TKO (knees) Gorilla Fighting 24

Saratov, Russia Win

Roman Golovinov TKO (punches) UAE Warriors 9

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Win

Kazim Zhakhangirov Submission (guillotine choke) Gorilla Fighting 17

Atyrau, Kazakhstan Win

Ruslan Hisamutdinov Decision (unanimous) Gorilla Fighting 15

Penza, Russia Win

Brian Gonzalez TKO (punches) Gorilla Fighting 11

Penza, Russia Win

Romeo Njia Submission (rear-naked choke) Battle on Volga 9

Moscow, Russia Win

Issei Moriyama TKO (punches) Brave CF 21

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Win

Dmitriy Berestovskiy TKO (doctor stoppage) Battle on Volga 8

Samara, Russia Win

Imran Abdiev Submission (armbar) Moscow Pankration Federation: Young Talents Cup 2017

Moscow, Russia