Las Vegas, NV — Saturday night, bantamweight Umar Nurmagomedov did what pretty much everyone in the Nurmagomedov family seems to do: fight, and win. And win impressively.
At UFC Vegas 57, Nurmagomedov improved to 15-0, dominating Nate Maness over the course of three rounds. Maness had entered the night a sizable underdog; in this case, the odds-makers were on point.
Umar is far from the only undefeated Nurmagodov: cousin Khabib, of course, retired at 29-0, having won the UFC’s lightweight championship. Brother Usman is 14-0 himself, and currently competes in Bellator.
But another Nurmagomedov just arrived in the world: ahead of Umar Nurmagomedov’s most recent triumph, his son was born. Due to the timing of his fight, Nurmagomedov wasn’t there for the birth, but despite being away, he was more happy than stressed.
“You know, this is not stress, this is more happy. I’m excited to go home and see him,” Nurmagomedov said following his win over Maness, speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press. “God gives me a son — it’s crazy, crazy feeling. I’m excited.”
His son will carry a familiar name: Abdulmanap. Named for Khabib Nurmagomedov’s father, who served as mentor and coach to many Dagestani fighters. The elder Abdulmanap passed away in 2020, after contracting COVID-19.
“My father chose this name, he said I’m going to give him my uncle’s name, Abdulmanap,” Umar said, tearing up.
Nurmagomedov had plenty of reasons to be upbeat following the win, even if the memory of his uncle had him emotional. He’s now started to be looked at as a real contender at bantamweight, though he’s in no rush.
“If they give me [a ranked opponent], I’m ready,” Nurmagomedov said when asked about fighting someone in the rankings. “But I don’t want to say someone’s name. Step by step, I think I come close, I think I come to be inside the top 10, top five. And then fighting for the belt. Slowly, slowly. I improve everything, it’s going to be great.”
“I don’t care, if they give me a quick road, I’m ready. If they go slowly, I’m ready,” he continued. “For me, it’s important to win every one of my fights. At the end of the day, it’s going to happen. You have to become champion.”
Watch the full UFC Vegas 57 post-fight press scrum with Umar Nurmagomedov above.
