After UFC’s undefeated legend Khabib Nurmagomedov retired from the sport, Umar Nurmagomedov was dubbed the Dagestani fighter destined to keep ‘The Eagle’s legacy alive. Competing as a bantamweight, ‘The Young Eagle’ also carried the pride of his lineage as an elite mixed martial artist, maintaining an unblemished record for most of his career. That was until the reigning 135 lbs king, Merab Dvalishvili, took it away at UFC 311, the first PPV event of the year. Still, even after that monumental defeat, he’s back and ready to reclaim his glory once again.

At UFC 321, Umar Nurmagomedov is set to make his return inside the Octagon against Mario Bautista in Abu Dhabi. And this isn’t just an anticipated comeback, as the Dagestani fighter would be looking forward to silencing his critics. But facing an improved Bautista won’t be an easy task, as fans are expecting a tough, all-out battle inside the cage. However, before all of that unfolds, let’s take a closer look at ‘The Young Eagle’s roots, starting with the details of his nationality and ethnicity. 

What is Umar Nurmagomedov’s ethnicity? Avar roots explained 

Umar Nurmagomedov hails from the mountainous region of Dagestan, which is part of the Republic of Russia. Interestingly, Dagestan lies in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, home to around 3,182,054 citizens (according to Wikipedia) living along the Caspian Sea. Also, the 29-year-old proudly boasts Russian nationality, while representing the nation in the UFC as well. But that’s not all. The 135 lbs contender’s ethnicity makes his background even more fascinating.

Ethnically, ‘The Young Eagle’ belongs to a group called the Avars, one of the largest ethnic communities in the North Caucasus. As per a Wikipedia article, the people of Avar reside along both the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, and also, their language is distinct from the modern Russian language. By digging a little deeper, we could explore that the Avars make up about 30.5% of Dagestan’s population, followed by Dargins at 16.6% and Kumyks at 15.8%, making them the largest ethnic group in the region.

So, as we can see, Umar definitely comes from a rich cultural background, filled with deep history and fascinating traditions. With that in mind, let’s move forward to explore how his early life in Dagestan shaped him into the fighter he is today. 

Where is Umar Nurmagomedov from? His Dagestani upbringing   

Umar Nurmagomedov was born in 1996 in Kizilyurt, Dagestan, Russia. Just like him, his younger brother, Usman Nurmagomedov, who is two years younger, was also born in the same city. However, contrary to popular belief, Umar and his younger brother didn’t actually grow up with their legendary cousin, Khabib Nurmagomedov. Instead, they spent most of their childhood in their native village.

While living in Kizilyurt, Umar developed a passion for martial arts and began practicing freestyle wrestling before later switching to Thai boxing. Following in his older brother’s footsteps, Usman chose the same path as well. After some time, the two brothers moved to Makhachkala and joined their uncle, Khabib’s father, Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, at the Eagles MMA camp, where both began their journey under the legendary coach’s guidance.

Now that we know how ‘The Young Eagle’ and his brother chose martial arts and eventually trained under their iconic uncle and cousin, let’s take a look at how the bantamweight’s MMA career was shaped by these legendary figures.  

How Umar’s Dagestan background shaped his MMA career   

After starting his MMA journey under Eagles MMA, Umar Nurmagomedov began dominating the local scene in Russia. Competing in Fight Nights Global 62, he started defeating opponents left and right while also winning the Battle on Volga 4 bantamweight tournament. After putting together a string of dominant performances, Umar eventually earned a major opportunity, which was signing with the PFL, which became the biggest move of his career at that point.

However, ‘The Young Eagle’s stint in the PFL turned out to be brief, as he only had two fights before the UFC realized it was time to bring the previously undefeated phenom into the big leagues. As expected, Khabib’s cousin continued his impressive run in the UFC as well. In just six fights, The Young Eagle picked up big wins over Raoni Barcelos, Bekzat Almakhan, and Cory Sandhagen — displaying that his Dagestani background was on another level, at least until he finally met his match.

At UFC 311, Umar Nurmagomedov’s dream of staying undefeated like his legendary cousin Khabib came to an end, as Merab Dvalishvili turned out to be too much to handle. Although Umar’s broken hand raised some questions about his performance that night, it remained a fact that he fell short before reaching the ultimate prize

Now, Umar has the chance to bounce back against Mario Bautista at UFC 321 in front of the Abu Dhabi crowd. And if he manages to make a strong statement, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that we might see a rematch between him and The Machine sooner or later. With that said, do you think he can actually make a comeback? Let us know in the comments section below.