It would be hard to draw up a more significant start to the year than what Usman Nurmagomedov and his teammates have lined up to begin 2025.
The Dagestan takeover in MMA could reach its peak this month with Nurmagomedov (18-0) set to put his Bellator lightweight title on the line against Paul Hughes (13-0) at Road to Dubai on Jan. 25, just one week after his brother, Umar, challenges Merab Dvalishvili for the UFC bantamweight title in the UFC 311 co-main event on Jan. 18, and Islam Makhachev puts his 155-pound strap on the line against Arman Tsarukyan in the headliner of the same card in Inglewood, Calif.
Scheduling for the respective championship has splintered training camps among the team. Khabib Nurmagomedov has headed the ship for Umar and Makhachev stateside in Las Vegas, while Usman remained at home in Dagestan. He considered joining his team in the U.S. for a portion of his training camp, but ultimately logistics ruled it out.
