Following Usman Nurmagomedov’s dominant victory at Bellator Championship Sequence 4, Khabib Nurmagomedov wasted no time in praising his youthful cousin, hailing him as one of many high light-weight fighters on the earth.
“I believe Usman is true now among the best lightweights on the earth. I used to be earlier than, now it’s our brother Islam [Makhachev], and Usman is subsequent. That is dynasty,” Khabib remarked.
Usman Nurmagomedov efficiently defended his light-weight title with a unanimous choice over Alexander Shabliy in the primary occasion of Bellator Championship Sequence 4, held at San Diego’s Pechanga Enviornment.
The struggle, largely missing in motion and excessive drama, noticed Nurmagomedov (18-0, 1 NC) outpoint his Russian compatriot with exact strikes, incomes the victory with scores of 50-45, 49-46, and 49-46.
“He was extremely powerful,” Nurmagomedov, 26, mentioned post-fight. “I’m proud of the win and hope to defend my title subsequent in Dubai.”
Former Bellator featherweight champion AJ McKee, who was watching from cageside, is a possible subsequent opponent for Nurmagomedov, offered he overcomes Paul Hughes in October.
Nurmagomedov, the youthful brother of UFC bantamweight Umar and cousin of former UFC light-weight champion Khabib, can also be a teammate of reigning UFC light-weight champion Islam Makhachev.
This marks his second profitable title protection since claiming the light-weight belt in November 2022. His October 2023 victory over Brent Primus was dominated a no contest following a optimistic drug check for a banned substance in a prescription medicine.
Shabliy (24-4), who got here into the struggle with an unbeaten streak of 9 matches, together with a win over former Bellator light-weight champion Patricky Pitbull, proved a troublesome problem however was hesitant to interact.
This reluctance finally value him his first shot on the world title.
Identified for his putting versatility at Eagle MMA, Nurmagomedov regularly switched stances and attacked with quite a lot of offensive maneuvers.
Shabliy, nonetheless, remained defensively sound, countering successfully when Nurmagomedov closed the space, although his makes an attempt lacked frequency to sway the judges.
Nurmagomedov continued to press ahead within the second spherical, however Shabliy’s protection held, preserving him out of hazard.
The third spherical noticed Nurmagomedov touchdown extra kicks and a clear uppercut, though the viewers grew stressed with the dearth of motion.
The bout’s largest second got here within the fourth spherical, when Nurmagomedov landed a left head kick and secured a takedown, sustaining management for the ultimate moments of the spherical.
Within the last spherical, each fighters remained cautious, resulting in a smattering of boos from the gang because the bout concluded with little offensive exercise.
