The UFC Vegas 67 tournament turned out to be rich in events that are interesting for Russian fans of mixed martial arts. And the duel of Umar Nurmagomedov was just a feast for the eyes. The young eagle took on the Brazilian with a strong chin and destroyed him in the first round.

But Umar won’t see a championship fight for a long time. The whole division is running from the Russian, and Dana White cannot clean up the mess.

“No one wants to fight me”

Russian mixed martial artist Umar Nurmagomedov, like his famous brothers Usman and Khabib, boasts a perfect record. Before the UFC Vegas 67 tournament, he won 15 fights in a row, although only three of them fell on the strongest promotion on the planet.

The 27-year-old fighter from Dagestan does not have a powerful knockout punch, but he is good at wrestling. Seven fights ended with the surrender of opponents, and only once did he knock out an opponent.

Three confident victories in the UFC lifted Nurmagomedov to the 11th line of the bantamweight rating. It seemed that now Umar had only one way – up. But all the top fighters of the division, according to the Russian, simply refuse to go into the octagon with him.

“I’m trying to call the guys, but no one wants to fight me. I spoke to VP Sean Shelby but he said he couldn’t find a fight for me. I’m ready to fight anyone, even a debutant, I need to stay active, ”Nurmagomedov said before the fight.

In the UFC, only Raoni Barcelos was able to find Umaru’s rivals. The Brazilian fighter is a tough opponent. But he is not even close to a top athlete. Raoni is not in the top bantamweight division. But before the fight with Nurmagomedov, he could boast of the absence of defeats by knockout. Umar also praised the skills of the upcoming opponent.

Photo: © Chris Unger / Contributor / UFC / Gettyimages.com

I think he is a tough opponent. He has powerful punches, good kicks and grappling at the level. This will be one of the most difficult opponents I have fought,” Nurmagomedov said at a press conference before the fight.

“I don’t feel good about winning”

The fight with Barcelos was special for Umar, because there was no Khabib in the corner. The legendary cousin just recently ended his career in mixed martial arts, focusing on the family, and there were other people in the corner of the Russian. But this circumstance did not prevent the Young Eagle from showing the brightest fight.

Opponents started the fight neatly. The center of the “cage” was immediately occupied by Raoni, but he did not take advantage of this in any way, preferring to simply study the Russian without blows. Umar started with a front kick and continued to kick more often.

Barcelos was sorely lacking in activity. For the first half of the five-minute period, he delivered only one series of blows without damage to Umar. It seemed that now the fighters would go to rest, but the Young Eagle made a brilliant combination. First, he struck a false blow with his knee, and then hit the right side exactly in the jaw.

This combination was a complete surprise for Barcelos. He frankly swam and collapsed onto the canvas. The referee at that moment hesitated and did not manage to stop the fight in time. Umar went to finish off his opponent, but after the first hammerfist he realized that Raoni was in a deep knockout and stopped. Only after that the referee stopped the fight.

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“I feel a little bad because I didn’t see that he was already knocked out and delivered the finishing blow. I somehow quickly threw it away, emotionally. I told him, “I’m sorry.” Therefore, I feel bad because of the victory, ”Nurmagomedov said after the fight.

This knockout was the first in the UFC for a Russian. The organizers recognized Umar’s victory as the “Performance of the Night”, adding an additional 50 thousand dollars to the fee. But even after such a spectacular victory, Nurmagomedov’s bantamweight prospects look hazy. The athlete himself spoke about this.

– March. I will be ready in March. I have addressed all the guys in this division, but they are silent. Where are you all guys? I’m here in a cage. March, fourth. I’ll be ready! – Nurmagomedov literally shouted into the microphone.

The refusal of top fighters trembling for a position in the rankings really looks strange if even management cannot force them to enter the octagon. It’s high time for Dana White to do something about this. It shouldn’t be in a league where promising fighters with three wins in a row fight guys who aren’t even in the top 15 of the division.