Usman Nurmagomedov News

Josh Evanoff - November 20, 2024

Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov will meet Paul Hughes in Dubai. ‘Big News’ is fresh off his return to the PFL cage last month in Saudi Arabia. There, Paul Hughes met former Bellator featherweight champion A.J. McKee in a lightweight title eliminator. ‘Mercenary’ was considered the Irishman’s biggest test of his career, and he passed the test with flying colors.

Curtis Calhoun - October 23, 2024

PFL founder Donn Davis didn’t take long to respond to Bellator champ Usman Nurmagomedov’s timeline for a potential move to the UFC. Nurmagomedov, regarded by many as one of the top fighters outside of the UFC, defeated Alexandr Shabliy by unanimous decision in his last Bellator title defense. Usman is the cousin of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov, considered one of the greatest fighters of all time.

Harry Kettle - October 21, 2024

Bellator star Paul Hughes wants Conor McGregor in his corner for a possible title shot against Usman Nurmagomedov. Last weekend, Paul Hughes made an emphatic statement. In his battle with AJ McKee at PFL: Battle of the Giants, he was able to put in the performance of a lifetime. He dropped the favorite and hurt him on multiple occasions, eventually riding his way to a split decision win. Now, many believe the natural next step is for him to challenge Bellator champion Usman Nurmagomedov for the belt.

Josh Evanoff - September 19, 2024

Paul Hughes is angling for a fight with Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov. ‘Big News’ is still early on in his tenure with PFL and Bellator. Paul Hughes famously chose to sign with Donn Davis and the promotion, over Dana White and the UFC earlier this year. In his promotional debut earlier this summer, the Irishman scored a second-round knockout victory over Bobby King.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 8, 2024

Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov believes he is the future of MMA. Nurmagomedov put his 155-pound hardware at stake against Alexandr Shabliy in the main event of Bellator Champions Series 4 this past Saturday. The Dagestan bruiser earned a unanimous decision win to maintain his hold on the gold and improve his pro MMA record to 18-0, 1 NC.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 6, 2024

Usman Nurmagomedov has weighed in on the pound-for-pound debate. At the top of the official UFC pound-for-pound rankings currently is UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. UFC light heavyweight titleholder Alex Pereira has the number two spot, while Jon Jones sits at number three.

Harry Kettle - September 4, 2024

MMA legend Khabib Nurmagomedov believes his cousin Usman Nurmagomedov is the future of the sport. As we know, it’s been an interesting time for Usman Nurmagomedov as of late. While he may be a world champion in Bellator, he’s also had to deal with a suspected doping violation. Despite that, he is set to return to the cage this weekend when he defends his crown against Alexandr Shabliy.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 30, 2024

Bellator Lightweight Champion, Usman Nurmagomedov, has spoken out on his CSAC suspension for a failed drug test. Nurmagomedov was flagged for an undisclosed prohibited substance back in October 2023. His successful Bellator 300 title defense over Brent Primus was changed to a no contest as a result. While the CSAC slapped Nurmagomedov with a six-month suspension and a $50,000 fine, both sides agreed that the 155-pound titleholder was able to prove that the substance in question was administered by a physician for therapeutic use.

Cole Shelton - November 11, 2023

Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov has failed a drug test. Multiple sources informed BJPENN.com that Nurmagomedov tested positive for an unknown substance and his fight against Brent Primus has been overturned to a No Contest. As well, sources informed BJPENN.com that Primus will now go forward in the Bellator lightweight grand prix, while the belief is Usman Nurmagomedov will be stripped of the lightweight title. Nurmagomedov has also been handed a six month suspension.

Chris Taylor - October 7, 2023

Tonight’s Bellator 300 event was headlined by a lightweight title fight between Usman Nurmagomedov and Brent Primus. Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA) was looking to earn his second straight lightweight title defense when he took to the cage this evening in California. The undefeated Russian had earned a first-round submission victory over former UFC champion Benson Henderson in his most previous effort at Bellator 292.

Chris Taylor - October 7, 2023

We have you covered for all of tonight’s Bellator 300 results, including the lightweight title fight between Usman Nurmagomedov and Brent Primus. Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA) will be looking to earn his second straight lightweight title defense this evening in California. The undefeated Russian earned a first-round submission victory over former UFC champion Benson Henderson in his most previous effort at Bellator 292.

Chris Taylor - October 7, 2023

The cage returns to San Diego for tonight’s Bellator 300 event, a 16-bout fight card headlined by Usman Nurmagomedov vs. Brent Primus. Nurmagomedov (17-0 MMA) will be looking to earn his second straight lightweight title defense this evening in California. The undefeated Russian earned a first-round submission victory over former UFC champion Benson Henderson in his most previous effort at Bellator 292.

Cole Shelton - August 4, 2023

Bellator will be holding its 300 event and Usman Nurmagomedov will be defending his lightweight title on the card. Multiple sources informed BJPENN.com that Nurmagomedov will defend his title against Brent Primus, which also serves as the semifinals of the Bellator lightweight grand prix at Bellator 300. The event is set to go down on October 7 in San Diego, California. One source said this event could see multiple title fights on the card as it could be the final event in Bellator history. It’s also unclear if this fight will be the main event of the historic and potential final Bellator event.

Susan Cox - March 17, 2023

Usman Nurmagomedov and Benson Henderson were the top earners in the disclosed Bellator 292 salaries. The disclosed fight purses for Bellator 292 have been revealed by the California State Athletic Commission and Nurmagomedov and Henderson both earned six-figure pay checks.

Chris Taylor - March 10, 2023

Usman Nurmagomedov puts his lightweight title on the line against former UFC champion Benson Henderson in tonight’s Bellator 292 main event. Nurmagomedov (17-0 MMA) will be returning to action for the first time since claiming the lightweight world title with a unanimous decision victory over Patricky Pitbull. The Russian phenom has gone 5-0 since joining the Bellator ranks in April of 2021.

Josh Evanoff - January 11, 2023

Bellator president Scott Coker has revealed some big plans for this year. The Showtime-based promotion is prone to doing some ideas that are a bit outside the box. Recently, the promotion traveled to Japan to send five of their best fighters against five of RIZIN’s best. Bellator wound up sweeping the matchups, with names like A.J. McKee and Patricio Pitbull picking up big wins.

Josh Evanoff - November 17, 2022

Patricky ‘Pitbull’ Freire is fine with being the underdog against Usman Nurmagomedov. The Brazilian is set to make his first title defense tomorrow night at Bellator 288. Freire famously captured the belt in his rematch with Peter Queally last November. In that outing, he won by second-round knockout, finally winning gold after a decade in the promotion.

Josh Evanoff - August 11, 2022

Bellator lightweight champion Patricky Pitbull has his first assignment as champion. He will face Usman Nurmagomedov at Bellator 288 in November. The Brazilian captured the Bellator lightweight strap with a knockout win over Peter Queally in November 2021. The win avenged a previous defeat to the Irishman from that May. With that, Pitbull joined his brother, Patricio, as a Bellator titleholder.