After more than a year on the shelf, Umar Nurmagomedov returned to the Octagon on Saturday night, delivering a dominant performance against newcomer Bekzat Almakhan.
After being knocked down in the opening minute, Nurmagomedov rallied back and ran away with the bout with his signature Dagestani-style wrestling. He moved to 17-0 in his mixed martial arts career and signaled that he was ready for a big step up in competition.
“I want to fight with Cory Sandhagen,” Nurmagomedov said in his post-fight interview with Daniel Cormier. “It’s gonna be a contender fight.