Just when it seemed like 2025 was a bad year for Dagestani fighters, with Umar Nurmagomedov and Sharaputdin Magomedov losing the zero in their records, a couple of them registered massive wins at UFC Kansas City. Ikram Aliskerov and Abus Magomedov, who both featured on the main card of the Fight Night Kansas City event, walked out of the State Farm Arena with massive victories. Their wins earned them words of appreciation from the biggest star to come out of Dagestan, Khabib Nurmagomedov.

After making waves in Dana White’s Contender Series and then racking up two KO wins in his first two UFC fights, Ikram Aliskerov was thrown into the deep end in his only fight of 2024. In a fight where Robert Whittaker was supposed to fight Khamzat Chimaev, the 32-year-old would find himself in that spot, which was the headliner for the UFC’s debut event in Saudi Arabia.

Somebody had to step up as ‘Borz’ was forced to pull out due to an illness, and Aliskerov did, but it did not turn out well at all for him. Robert Whittaker knocked him out, which was a learning curve for the Dagestan native. He still has a few steps to take in his growth into a top middleweight contender, but in his recent fight against Andre Muniz in the UFC Kansas City, he impressed many in the fight community, including Khabib Nurmagomedov.

‘The Eagle’ was happy to see Ikram Aliskerov get back to what he’s best at—finishing his opponents. “Welcome back stha,” Khabib Nurmagomedov wrote on his Instagram stories, as he lauded the 32-year-old middleweight. That would certainly mean a lot to the up-and-coming contender as he tries to make his way into the top 15. But Khabib wasn’t done congratulating.

The 29-0 phenom then turned his attention to the next middleweight winner of the night, Abus Magomedov, who bested Michel Pereira in a 3-round bout via decision. The Dagestan-born German fighter seems to be on a roll at the moment with a three-fight winning streak, and we could very well see him in the top 15 soon. After his recent win, the UFC Hall of Famer shared a message that seemed like he was expecting a win from the 34-year-old middleweight, as he gave him a pat on the back by saying, “Good job.”

Coming back to Ikram Aliskerov, the 32-year-old recently expressed his future plans. That included his wish to fight one more time because he feels like he’s been on the sidelines for long enough. Here’s what he had to say.

Ikram Aliskerov wants to fight one more time in 2025

The win at UFC Kansas City was essential for Ikram Alikerov because he’s just starting out in the UFC, and another loss would have had a negative effect on his journey to the top. But having to wait so many months to get a fight wasn’t something Aliskerov enjoyed, and instead, he has expressed his wish to be more active and wants to fight at least one more time by the end of this year. And guess what? Aliskerov wants to make a statement by fighting a top contender, just like Robert Whittaker.

“I still [waited] long time. Almost 10 months, I am not have fight. But one time UFC give me very big chance. I wanna say him [Dana White] thank you very much,” Ikram Aliskerov stated on his post-fight interview. “And please, give me one more time for me. Somebody in the top 10, please. I show you what I can do. Please this year doesn’t matter. Summer, winter. Give me some tough guy.”

Hopefully, we’ll witness more wins from Dagestani fighters in the rest of 2025, including Ikram Aliskerov, who’s aiming for the top of the middleweight division. Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.