Khabib's cousin Usman Nurmagomedov returns to active competition on July 31st against Manny Muro

Khabib Nurmagomedov's cousin, Usman Nurmagomedov, will return to action on Saturday, July 31, at Bellator 263. The high-profile event will take place at The Forum in Inglewood, California, headlined by what many believe to be the biggest fight in Bellator history.

Usman Nurmagomedov returns July 31st to face Manny Muro LIVE from @TheForum at #Bellator263.🎟 https://t.co/gWFxFFFyKv pic.twitter.com/wfvgW3tMvZ

— BellatorMMA (@BellatorMMA) July 18, 2021

Nurmagomedov will try to climb his way into the Bellator lightweight rankings when he squares off against Luis 'Manny' Muro. This will be a quick turnaround for the Russian fighter, who recently fought in his promotional debut against Mike Hamel in April.

The Dagestan native is currently undefeated with a 12-0 record, including seven knockouts and three submissions. He made a successful Bellator debut after a flawless run in MMA leagues across Russia and the Middle East.

Meanwhile, Muro has enjoyed a resurgence after picking up three straight victories over Ken Coulter, Nick Newell, and Devin Powell. He will face a tough test in Usman Nurmagomedov at Bellator 263.

The event will be headlined by the Bellator Featherweight World Grand Prix final between Patricio Freire and undefeated prospect A.J. McKee.

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Usman Nurmagomedov poised to become the next Khabib

Khabib Nurmagomedov and Usman Nurmagomedov [Photo credit: @usman_nurmagomedov on Instagram]

With Khabib Nurmagomedov's retirement, the focus shifted to his teammates and proteges at the American Kickboxing Academy. Islam Makhachev, who recently scored a dominant win at UFC Vegas 31, is expected to carry Nurmagomedov's mantle as the next MMA powerhouse from Dagestan.

After running through Thiago Moises, Makhachev is now expected to face a UFC lightweight in the top five. If Makhachev can keep his momentum going, a title shot will be within his reach soon.

But Usman Nurmagomedov has just as much superstar-level talent and potential, according to Khabib's manager Ali Abdelaziz. The Egyptian-born fight manager even went as far as saying that Usman Nurmagomedov has the necessary tools to become a deadlier version of Khabib.

"The guy to really look out for right now that nobody knows about is Usman Nurmagomedov - Khabib's younger [cousin]," Abdelaziz said in an interview with The Sun. "He's a Muay Thai specialist and he's Khabib's brother, you understand? If you have the same blood as Khabib, you have good wrestling. I'm telling you, he is actually a better version than Khabib. He is better than Khabib. I'm telling you, people should watch for him. He's an absolute killer."