LAS VEGAS – Umar Nurmagomedov faced the biggest scare of his career so far against Bekzat Almakhan at UFC Fight Night 238, but ultimately left with his undefeated record in tact.
Nurmagomedov (17-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC), who is considered by many to have future champion potential in the bantamweight division, took a big risk in accepting a fight with newcomer Almakhan (14-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at the UFC Apex. It almost backfired when he was knocked down in the opening seconds of the fight, but that was the only moment he faced threat.
UMAR GOT DROPPED EARLY AS THE HUGE FAVORITE #UFCVegas87 pic.twitter.com/rS8KFZZiV8
— Spinnin Backfist (@SpinninBackfist) March 2, 2024
The younger cousin of retired UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov went into grappling mode for the rest of the fight after the early knockdown, completely dominating Almakhan on the mat for the majority of the first, second and third frames en route to a unanimous decision victory by scores of 30-25, 30-26 and 30-26.
“I didn’t see this and I didn’t understand – I woke up,” Nurmagomedov said in his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier. “I hurt him. Almost too much I hurt him. I thought I would take him down and choke him for an easy fight. But this guy a monster. He’s tough and he tried to kill me.”
After the fight, Nurmagomedov called for a re-booking with Cory Sandhagen, who he was supposed to face in July before suffering an injury that forced him to pull out.
It remains to be seen when that can happen, though, because Nurmagomedov revealed he came into this fight injured, as well.
“I want to fight with Cory Sandhagen,” Nurmagomedov said. “It’s going to be I think a contender fight. I come to this fight with a lot of things. Hurt. I didn’t come here 100 percent. Maybe I was just 50 percent. I’m serious.”
5-0 and continuing to rise 👏@UNmgdv | #UFCVegas87 pic.twitter.com/YGz8kwZliA
— UFC (@ufc) March 2, 2024
Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 238 results include:
- Umar Nurmagomedov def. Bekzat Almakhan via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-26, 30-26)
- Stephen Erceg def. Matt Schnell via knockout (punch) – Round 2, 0:26
- Eryk Anders def. Jamie Pickett via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Vinicius Oliveira def. Bernardo Sopaj via knockout (flying knee) – Round 3, 4:41
- Aiemann Zahabi def. Javid Basharat via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Christian Duncan def. Claudio Ribeiro via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 1:57
- Ludovit Klein def. A.J. Cunningham via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:36
- Loik Radzhabov def. Abdul-Kareem Al-Selwady via knockout (punches) – Round 3, 0:49
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 238.
