Since his last loss in the UFC back in December 2022, Damir Ismagulov has officially retired. Or so the fans thought. The Russian fighter has decided to return to the UFC. This sudden u-turn from retirement has shocked all the UFC fans. Ismagulov announced his return in a very conventional way, on social media, like all the other fighters. However, his return was very unexpected. In fact, any martial artist who gives an official announcement to retire is not likely to return at any cost. It looks like the only reason that Ismagulov is returning is because of how connected he feels with the UFC. The fighter feels like he owes it to himself to return to the UFC again.
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🚨| Damir Ismagulov has revealed he will come out of retirement to fight out the final fight of his UFC contract.#UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/Y4w6irBTni
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) January 29, 2023
The fight is yet to be announced. This discrepancy is because the fighter did not know how many fights he has left on the roster. According to Ismagulov himself, he was not aware of the number of fights he had left with the UFC. Instead, it was his manager Sayat Abdrakhmanov who made him realize that he still has one fight left. Although his retirement was not stopped by anyone at any cost, Ismagulov took it upon himself to return.
What is Ismagulov’s deal with the UFC?
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The duty calls that the Russian fighter has received are not from the UFC, but from within. Since his last fight did not give him the satisfaction he needed to retire, Ismagulov saw this as a lucky opportunity to get redemption. In a recent Instagram post, the lightweight fighter announced in its caption, “there were many offers from other leagues where fees were way higher and you could go in there and make money, but I came to @ufc not for the money but for the legacy, to prove to myself that I can compete against the strongest fighters!”
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The Russian talent made it pretty clear that his choice to return is not for money. Rather, he wants to return to set his UFC legacy straight and respectful. ‘Qazaq’ wants to look back at his life and feel proud of the moment he decided to retire. His last fight was against Arman Tsarukyan, against whom the 31-year-old fighter lost. This last bout left him wondering about his career. Eventually, seeing the crack, ‘Qazaq’ decided to slip in.
How much of Ismagulov will we see in the UFC?
‘Qazaq’ is only returning to one fight. He is looking forward to correcting his past mistakes. It also appears that the 31-year-old fighter wants to rematch his Armenian rival again. “Let’s hold the last battle with fireworks,” added Ismagulov.
It looks as though life has given the ex-UFC fighter a second chance to leave out an impactful impression on his way out of the promotion. What he will do following his true retirement remains a mystery.
Written by
Edited by
Vineet Nandwana