While a couple of Dagestan-based fighters failed, Shamil Gaziev, who represents Bahrain, lit up the crowd in Saudi Arabia during his UFC Fight Night 250 fight against Thomas Peterson. The 34-year-old knocked out his American counterpart to oblivion in the very first round, recording his 14th career win. Following the bout, Gaziev took to social media and remembered renowned MMA coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, citing his teachings as the reason for his win.
It’s no secret that Gaziev used to train under Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s father, who paved the way for several Russian fighters in MMA. He then shifted his allegiance to the KHK MMA Team, which is based in Bahrain, but never forgot how much Abdulmanap contributed to his journey to becoming a UFC fighter.
After his knockout win, the #14 ranked heavyweight shared an old picture of a few fighters, including him, seated alongside Khabib’s father. In what seemed like an emotional post on X, the 34-year-old paid a tribute to Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, claiming that, “Coach would be happy today.”
Coach would be happy today pic.twitter.com/A50iWdEKxE
— Shamil Gaziev (@GazievMMA) February 1, 2025
Gaziev had a unique journey, which distinguishes him from the other fighters who trained under Abdulmanap Nurmahgomedov. Due to financial burdens, he had to part ways with mixed martial arts for nine long years to work as a power engineer so that he could support not only himself but his family as well. Gaziev revealed his life story during a recent interview and how he ended up in Dagestan to train.
Shamil Gaziev sheds light on his journey to the UFC
Shamil Gaziev, during an interview with Russian MMA media outlet ‘Ushatayka’, revealed that he had always been an athlete, and even dipped his hands in more than one sport. After nine years away from the MMA, the thought of making a return to fighting kept bugging him when he was working as a repairman in a substation. It was then that Gaziev caught up with one of his old friends, who would invite him to train in Dagestan, which is the breeding ground for top Russian MMA fighters.
One thing led to another and the 34-year-old later found himself competing at the biggest MMA platform. “We have the Federal Grid Company FSK. I serviced the substation for them. Roughly speaking, I was a repairman. I have a friend, Eldar Eldarov. I thought for a long time whether to return or not,” Shamil Gaziev stated. “All this time, my soul was in sports; I loved sports since childhood. I did different sports, I really wanted to return. And when he flew to Dagestan, we met, he offered me, I tried, and I reached the UFC.”
Well, things worked out in Shamil’s favor and now he has an impressive 14-1 record. With a string of few impressive wins, we can probably see him getting into title contention. It remains to be seen if we can ever witness Shamil Gaziev fighting Jon Jones or Tom Aspinall in the future. Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.
The post After Saving Dagestan’s Face, Shamil Gaziev Makes 5-Word Statement for Khabib’s Father After UFC Win appeared first on EssentiallySports.