UFC flyweight Tagir Ulanbekov took to the airways after he came out victorious over Bruno Silva. The Russian made his UFC debut on UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs Sandhagen and walked away with a hard-fought unanimous decision win. What’s more, he spoke out following the contest and dedicated his first win to his coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.

Ulanbekov is Khabib Nurmagomedov’s teammate and belongs to the camp that was once spearheaded by Abdulmanap, Khabib’s father. Additionally, Tagir’s long-awaited UFC debut was a moment of pride for the camp; the 125-pounder shouted out his coach. Moreover, he said that he hoped to have provided added motivation for Khabib and the camp with his win.

UFC flyweight Tagir Ulanbekov speaks out

The 13-1 fighter made his way into the promotion from a successful stint that unfolded at Gorilla Fighting Championship. Not only did he dedicate his fight to his late famed coach Abdulmanap, but also spoke out on the pressure of a UFC debut.

“I want to dedicate this victory to our coach, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. Rest in peace. This fight was a big responsibility for me, I had to motivate my teammates Khabib and Islam (Makhachev). They are fighting on upcoming cards. I didn’t fight the way I wanted. Everybody says the first fight in UFC, you get too much pressure and everything, and I guess it’s true. I felt it, as well.”

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His first victory on MMA’s biggest stage wasn’t easy, and Tagir Ulanbekov admitted that it was a hard-fought contest. He explained how Abdulmanap’s death earlier this year factored into the timeline for his octagon appearance.

“I wanted to keep the fight standing, and I thought I would go through him much easier,” Ulanbekov said. “I didn’t expect the fight to be this hard. It was one of my hardest fights to date. This was a long training camp. I was supposed to fight before, but I didn’t, unfortunately. I didn’t fight because Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov died. So it was just pretty much a six-month, non-stop training camp, so now I want to rest.”

Khabib Nurmagomedov’s camp has long been considered to be a very tight-knit clan of elite fighters. Tagir’s devotion to Abdulmanap’s coaching and legacy was evident through his immediate inclination to dedicate his first big win. What did you make of his UFC debut?