UFC Fight Night: Umar Nurmagomedov feeling at home in Abu Dhabi ahead of UFC debut

Khabib Nurmagomedov to corner cousin for Wednesday's bout against Sergey Morozov

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - JANUARY 19: (L-R) Opponents Umar Nurmagomedov of Russia and Sergey Morozov of Kazakhstan face off during the UFC weigh-in at Etihad Arena on UFC Fight Island on JanuaShow more

Umar Nurmagomedov will be looking to emulate cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Abu Dhabi success when he makes his promotional debut at UFC Fight Night on Wednesday – describing the UAE capital as like competing “in our house”.

The unbeaten bantamweight features on the middle of three UFC Fight Island events taking place in the emirate, where he faces Kazakhstan’s Sergey Morozov during the prelims at Etihad Arena.

Nurmagomedov, 24, has had to wait for some time to make his UFC bow, having been prevented from competing by several issues, including the coronavirus pandemic and illness. He was initially to fight last April, and then again during the first two Fight Island series in July and October. The latter was headlined by Khabib Nurmagomedov's sublime lightweight title defence against Justin Gaethje at UFC 254.

Speaking on Tuesday, ahead of his much-anticipated first UFC bout, Umar Nurmagomedov said: “This is almost like our house. We feel the same here how we feel in Dagestan. We are always feeling very comfortable here. Yes, I like this place. I like that the UFC is coming here and I will fight here 100 times if I can.”

Nurmagomedov’s professional record stands at 12-0, although he has not fought competitively since November 2019. Given his surname – Khabib Nurmagomedov is widely considered the most dominant UFC athlete of all time – the pressure could be on Umar Nurmagomedov when he takes to the octagon on Wednesday.

He downplayed talk of continuing his family’s legacy, though, even if Khabib is currently retired at 29-0. The undefeated Dagestan native will corner his cousin against Morozov (16-4) at Etihad Arena.

“It is too early to talk about legacy. This is just my debut,” Umar Nurmagomedov said. “When I win 10 times, I am going to talk about legacy. I am very excited. I believe I am ready, I am at 100 per cent.

“I am going to show this. I will go for the win and we will see. I think I am a new generation fighter. I can fight, wrestle, grapple, and I am going to show this.”

UFC Fight Night: Chiesa vs Magny is headlined by the welterweight clash between Michael Chiesa and Neil Magny. It is followed on Sunday by UFC 257, with Conor McGregor's return in the rematch against Dustin Poirier topped a stacked card.