1 week Ago By Tom Llewellyn
This, following undefeated claiming victory in the main event of Champions Series: San Diego last night with a dominant performance over a tough Alexandr Shabliy. Usman Nurmagomedov successfully defends Bellator lightweight title Following his return from a six-month suspension, Usman Nurmagomedov put on a career-best performance last night as he dominated his fellow Russian en route to a unanimous decision victory on the West Coast. “This guy is so tough,” Usman of his opponent after the judges’ scorecards were revealed: “Alexandr Shabily is I think one of the best lightweights right now in the world, it was a very tough fight for me – all the respect to him and his team, thank you.
” With fan-favorite AJ McKee sitting cageside, Usman was asked what he wanted next, with his answer being a rather simple demand: “I want to fight in Dubai, I want to defend my title next in Dubai – give me this chance.” If the promotions are to put that fight together next, McKee will need to first get through Irish superstar Paul Hughes, with that bout set to go down on October 19 in support of the enormous vs super-fight in Saudi Arabia. Khabib Nurmagomedov reacts to Usman’s title victory in San Diego in the cage after Usman Nurmagomedov secured his status as the undisputed Bellator lightweight champion, the legendary would offer his thoughts on the fight and his cousin’s performance.
“First of all, I want to say thank you to Shabily, he is a very, very tough opponent who has trained with us like six or seven years ago – so we know he was a very tough opponent but that’s why this was a very important fight for us. “You know sometimes when you are 26 [years old] and you are fighting somebody who is 32, they are both on prime [form] but 32 is much better than 26 and if you beat him, you jump to that different level.” Khabib hadn’t been able to join Usman’s corner for his last few fights but was thankfully able to make it out to San Diego to support his cousin this time around – although ‘The Eagle’ was so hyped-up during the fight itself that he almost choked out fellow undefeated phenom, .
“I think Usman is right now one of the best lightweights in the world,” stated the iconic UFC fighter, acknowledging that Usman simply represents the next era in the ‘dynasty’ of the Nurmagomedov regime. “I was before, now it’s our brother Islam [Makhachev] and Usman is next – this is dynasty, I think many years people talked but they don’t understand why, [it is] because we work so hard, we believe to Allah, and we believe in ourselves.” The news crew then caught up with Khabib as he was exiting the arena, in which he doubled down on his claim that the now 18-0 champion is one of the best lightweights in the world – regardless of promotion.
“Tonight was an amazing night for us, for all of our team. Usman did an amazing job against a very good and experienced opponent – he showed the world why he is one of the best in the world. “And he’s still growing, he just turned 26 years old, and I really believe that he’s going to have a great, great future – he’s already made history by winning and defending his title three times, but can you imagine [how good he could be] after five or six [more] years?” The future does indeed look to be incredibly bright for the young Nurmagomedov, with Khabib noting that as long as they can maintain discipline as he enters the next stage of his development, Usman has all of the skills needed to become a true bonified legend in the sport of MMA.
“If this guy stays focused, he can put his name on one of the greatest top lists [of all time], this is what I believe.”.
