The UFC has never held an event in Russia, but expect that to change in the next year, and one of the main reasons is the success of lightweight fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Nicknamed “The Eagle,” Nurmagomedov holds an impressive 19-0 record – one of the longest win streaks in MMA right now – as well as a perfect 3-0 mark inside the Octagon, with wins over veterans Thiago Tavares, Gleison Tibau, and Kamal Shalorus.
At only 24 years of age, the sky is the limit for this guy, and there’s no doubt the UFC realizes he has star potential and can help the company break into the Russian market.
Why else would they have matched up Nurmagomedov with Abel Trujilo? It’s obvious the UFC is looking to get him another win. Nurmagomedov has already defeated three solid veterans of the sport, and this weekend at UFC 160, he’ll be taking on a fighter who has had only one UFC fight. Sure, Trujilo looked great when he smashed Marcus LeVesseur at UFC on FOX 5, but that win isn’t that impressive when you consider LeVesseur isn’t very good, and that he took the fight on one day’s notice. So the fight doesn’t make any sense unless you realize the UFC wants to keep bulking up the Russian’s record so they can start promoting him as a legit title contender when the promotion finally makes it across the Pacific.
There’s no doubt that Nurmagomedov has a ton of potential in the sport, but I don’t think the right way to build him up is to give him fights against lower-level fighters. Like I said, I know that Trujilo had an impressive UFC debut, but he is obviously ranked below guys like Tibau and Tavares, so this fight is definitely a step back for Nurmagomedov in terms of name value. However, adding another W to his record is obviously not a bad thing, which is why the UFC made the matchup.
I really do expect the UFC to start targeting a fight card in Russia soon. This is why they are trying to bloat Nurmagomedov’s record and it’s the reason why they’ve started signing more and more European fighters as of late. The fact of the matter is Bellator is a competitor to the UFC, and they want to make their own inroads in Russia. If the UFC is truly the big dog in the MMA world, then they will be the ones holding an event in Russia first, not Bellator. And, as you can tell by their matchmaking with this Nurmagomedov vs. Trujilo fight, they want to get to Russia quickly and with a rising star in the fold, and that’s exactly what Nurmagomedov is.
I’m excited about the fight between Nurmagomedov and Trujilo this weekend because it should provide fans with an exciting finish. And, with a statement victory by “The Eagle,” expect the ball to get rolling on the UFC’s Russian invasion sooner rather than later. And that’s pretty exciting itself.
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UFC 160: Velasquez vs. Bigfoot II is due to take place on May 25, 2013 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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