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Umar Nurmagomedov put on a dominant performance to commence his UFC career with a win over Sergey Morozov. Khabib's cousin submitted his Kazakhstani opponent in the second round of the fight via rear-naked choke. The 24-year-old Dagestani is undefeated in all of his 13 professional MMA fights.
With the UFC lightweight champion present in his corner, Umar Nurmagomedov outclassed Morozov on the feet, and showcased his proficiency in grappling as well.
At the post-fight interview, Khabib stated that Umar was more dominant on his UFC debut as compared to him.
"Nine years ago, this day, 20th January 2012, I beat my opponent like this, with this choke. But, I did it in third round, and he did in second round," said Khabib Nurmagomedov in the cage, following the fight.
Umar, a former world combat sambo champion, started on a high note right off the bat with constant kicks to Morozov's legs and body. Nurmagomedov took the fight to the canvas before Morozov scrambled out of danger to trade heavy punches with the Dagestani. Nurmagomedov secured another takedown in the final stages of the first frame in what looked like a fairly competitive round.
In the second round, Nurmagomedov rocked Morozov with a vicious head kick that made the Kazakhstani retreat. The 24-year-old Russian, looking to build up on his thunderous kick, scored another takedown and dominated the rest of the round before finishing Morozov via rear-naked choke.
Coach Javier Mendez explains what differentiates Umar Nurmagomedov from Khabib
Umar Nuramogomedov has cited kicking as his favorite striking technique, and that is the difference between him and cousin Khabib, according to coach Javier Mendez.
Speaking to The Sun, Mendez revealed that Umar's kicking prowess is a cut above Khabib Nurmagomedov's kicking skills.
"You can expect to see everything from him. But one thing that is going to be different is - Khabib's boxing has gotten on fairly well. I mean Khabib's boxing has gotten pretty good. Umar's kicking is phenomenal, so you can expect to see more kicking. He's a phenomenal kicker," said Mendez.
