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UFC bantamweight, Umar Nurmagomedov, shares his roots with the lightweight king, Khabib Nurmagomedov. Umar and Khabib are cousins and hail from Dagestan in Russia.
Umar Nurmagomedov (24), has been fighting in smaller MMA promotions across Russia. He has previously fought at PFL (Professional Fighters League) as well. The Eagle's cousin was set to make his UFC debut on the January 23rd PPV which will be headlined by Conor McGregor. However, citing the rivalry between the Irishman and Khabib Nurmagomedov, Umar's fight against Sergey Morozov has been preponed to UFC Fight Island 8 on January 20th.
"Ali (Abdelaziz) told me. But it makes no difference, I just want to fight... I think it was done so that we don't run into each other. Perhaps the UFC doesn't want us to meet", said Umar Numagomedov in an interview with RT Sport MMA.
Umar Nurmagomedov prefers to not trash talk his opponents before his fights. Just like Khabib Nurmagomedov, he disapproves of Conor McGregor's pre-fight antics to build up a fight. The Dagestani fighter recommends 'The Notorious One' to tone down his verbal onslaught in order to promote a fight.
"It's best to avoid a meeting (with Conor McGregor). Because Conor keeps talking trash and throwing insults. He needs to change. you can promote any fight without getting personal."
Khabib Nurmagomedov should return to fight once again: Umar Nurmagomedov
Umar Nurmagomedov is an admirer of his cousin brother Khabib and wishes to see 'The Eagle' make his return to the octagon. However, Umar believes that Khabib's return will depend on how UFC 257 plays out.
"As a fan, I want to see him fight one more time. It probably won't happen, but I want him to come back. If he fights, he will train hard in preparations and he only looks to win... We'll be waiting for January 24th and see how Chandler vs Hooker and McGregor vs Poirier plays out. Then Dana and Khabib will make decisions", said Umar.
Umar Nurmagomedov enters the UFC as an undefeated fighter just like his brother, Khabib Nurmagomedov, did almost 9 years ago. The added pressure of following in his brother's footsteps is certainly going to be there for Umar Nurmagomedov. However, Umar claims to be calm ahead of his debut and it will be interesting to see how he performs against Sergey Morozov at UFC Fight Island 8.
