Usman Nurmagomedov continued to live up to the high praise of his cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov, who has called him the future of the sport, by recording successful lightweight title defense against Alexandr Shabliy in the main event of Saturday’s Bellator Champions Series event in San Diego.
From the beginning, Shabliy looked to use a quick right hook to his advantage, especially on the counterattack. But Nurmagomedov managed to score a takedown in the first round, though his challenger quickly shook him off.
The two had a back-and-forth striking second round, and the third round proved to be the quietest of the bunch. Nurmagomedov did, however, still appear to be the fighter with more activity.
The champ got quite the scare in the fourth round thanks to a one-two and a knee early in the round, turning away after the attack. But as it turned out, Shabliy poked him in the eye.
Nurmagomedov then had his own moment of success later in the round, rocking his fellow Russian with a high kick and bringing him back to the mat, looking for a submission. The moment was topped by a shot of Khabib Nurmagomedov, in his cousin’s corner, doing a mock face crank of his own on UFC bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov.
Shabliy was unable to pull the trigger and do much in the fifth round until it was too little, too late. Nurmagomedov won 50-45 on one judge’s scorecard and 49-46 on the other two to retain the title.
Usman Nurmagomedov Nearly Sweeps Scorecards In Successful Bellator Lightweight Title Defense Over Alexandr Shabliy
Nurmagomedov claimed the lightweight title with a win over Patricky Pitbull at Bellator 288. He then retained in wins over Benson Henderson and Brent Primus (the latter overturned to a no contest) during the unfinished Bellator Lightweight Grand Prix.
Shabliy, meanwhile, had a nine-fight win streak entering this fight, including victories over Tofiq Musayev and Pitbull during the same tournament.
