5 fighters from Dagestan who could follow in Khabib Nurmagomedov's footsteps and claim UFC gold

#4. Askar Askarov – UFC flyweight contender

Askar Askarov is still unbeaten in the flyweight division

It seems likely that the UFC may decide to book a fourth fight between flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo and former titleholder Brandon Moreno. There’s a highly dangerous contender from Dagestan waiting in the wings to challenge the winner.

That fighter is Askar Askarov, who has been unbeaten in the octagon since arriving there in September 2019.

Interestingly, ‘The Bullet’ actually debuted against Moreno in a wildly entertaining fight. The two men battled to a split draw, with Moreno’s grappling and striking eventually being able to somewhat tame the wrestling of Askarov.

However, given the improvements he’s shown since – clearly outpointing Tim Elliott, Alexandre Pantoja and Joseph Benavidez – it seems highly likely that Askarov might be able to unseat either Moreno or Figueiredo for the title.

The only thing holding him back right now is probably his lack of finishes in the octagon. However, to be fair, prior to arriving in the UFC, he’d picked up seven submission wins, and even tapped former WEC fighter Anthony Leone with a twister.

Given that he’s clearly the best wrestler in the flyweight division right now, it seems like it's only a matter of time before he secures a title shot. To see him capture the gold wouldn’t be shocking at all.

---

#3. Umar Nurmagomedov – UFC bantamweight contender

Umar Nurmagomedov appears to possess a similar skillset to his cousin Khabib

Sure, Umar Nurmagomedov is still at a very early stage in his UFC career. However, if what we’ve seen from the bantamweight prospect so far is anything to go by, it won’t be long before he’s considered a genuine title challenger.

The cousin of former lightweight kingpin Khabib, Umar Nurmagomedov arrived in the promotion for the first time last January, bringing an impressive 12-0 record with him.

It didn’t take him long to make an impact, as he choked out Sergey Morozov in his debut. While it took him over a year to return to the octagon for a second fight, it was hard not to be impressed when he choked out Brian Kelleher in just over three minutes – particularly as the fight took place at 145lbs.

Essentially, Nurmagomedov seems to possess all the skills – the smothering wrestling, powerful takedowns and crushing top game – that allowed his cousin to climb to the top of the mountain. Given his connections, it’s not likely to take long for the UFC to push Umar up the card, too.

Given how raw he is, it might be a while before we see him in a title bout. Given that many of the top bantamweights in the promotion are aging, he may get there quicker than some expect. If he’s anything like his cousin, then it won’t be long before he claims gold.