Undefeated bantamweight MMA prospect Ullubiy Amirzhanov drew the approval of UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov with his latest win.
Abu Dhabi dominates the attention of the combat sports world this week with UFC 321 scheduled to take place on Saturday. The event boasts two title fights, with Virna Jandiroba and Mackenzie Dern set to crown a new strawweight champion in the co-main event before Tom Aspinall kicks off his reign as undisputed heavyweight champion in a matchup with Ciryl Gane.
A number of major MMA names were in attendance midweek to take in UAE Warriors 64 at Abu Dhabi’s ADNEC, and one of the card’s standout performances came when Amirzhanov extended his undefeated record with an incredible buggy choke submission.
Taking on fellow undefeated bantamweight prospect Rasim Mirzaev, Amirzhanov came into UAE Warriors 64 with a perfect professional MMA record where he’d finished every single one of his opponents.
READ MORE: Dustin Poirier says retirement after UFC has been difficult for him
Mirzaev was making his promotional debut for UAE Warriors following a 4-0 start to his professional career with Naiza FC in his native Kazakhstan. The unbeaten bantamweight previously finished three out of his four opponents and had already collected two wins this year, but Mirzaev suffered his first loss at UAE Warriors 64 when Amirzhanov locked up a nasty buggy choke just over two minutes into the fight (check out the clip courtesy of the one and only @Grabaka_Hitman).
The highlight-reel submission was set up so quickly that Mirzaev had no chance to tap before going unconscious, and Amirzhanov’s quick win drew applause from UFC Hall of Famer Nurmagomedov as he sat cageside during the event.
READ MORE: Ex-UFC champion faces significant layoff following hand surgery
Amirzhanov now has six victories in UAE Warriors, and his latest win was the fourth different submission that he’s used to finish an opponent. The 22-year-old’s record include a pair of guillotines as well as a rear naked choke and ninja choke, and Amirzhanov also flashed his striking skills in July when he finished the previously-undefeated Ravshan Boymirzoev in just over a minute with a vicious body kick.
An action-packed early part of UAE Warriors 64 also featured finishes from Amir Hossein Alipour, Kurban Zaynukov, and Amena Hadaya, all of which helped get MMA fans prepped for a pair of huge title fights in the card’s main and co-main events.
• UFC legend Dustin Poirier teams up with Bruce Buffer for iconic UFC 322 surprise
• Reinier de Ridder reveals devastating setback that led to UFC Vancouver loss
• Watch all of Tom Aspinall’s UFC wins in one violent highlight video before UFC 321
• Tom Aspinall shuts down proposed future fight ahead of UFC 321 title defense
Stick with MMAKnockout for more FREE coverage of the UFC and MMA.
