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Magomed Magomedkerimov (Russian: Магомед Магомедкеримов; born 1 October 1990) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight division of Professional Fighters League (PFL).

Early life

Magomed was born in the small Dagestani village of Agvali, with a population of just over 2,000. While in school, he trained in pankration, hand-to-hand combat, and Muay Thai, sports popular in the region. By graduation, he was determined to pursue a career in sports. At 17, he moved to Makhachkala and entered the Sports and Coaching Faculty at the Dagestan State Pedagogical University (DGPU). The following year, he began competing in various tournaments, including world championships.

With a solid foundation in pankration and striking disciplines, Magomedkerimov launched his professional MMA career in 2008. He also competed in world pankration championships in Portugal and Bulgaria, the Russian hand-to-hand combat championship, and the Kudo and Muay Thai championships in Dagestan. By 2010, he had secured three World Championship wins, one European title, a Eurasian Championship title, and several national and regional championships. In MMA, he won two out of his first three fights.

Magomed's native language is Avar, and he is also fluent in Russian. He graduated from DGPU in 2011 with a degree in Sports and Coaching.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Magomed had his first professional fight against Vitaliy Kalynyuk at Trophy Feira 14, which took place on August 22, 2008, which he won via armbar in the first round. Two years later, in November 2010, Magomed fought Viktor Kuzmenko at M-1: Ukrainian Selection 2010 and won the fight with a rear naked choke. Later that same month, at ProFC- Union Nation Cup 10, Magomed faced Taras Pikhnyuk but lost the bout via a heel hook submission.

Since 2011, Magomed began devoting all his attention to developing a career in MMA. At first, he fought in local leagues, sometimes traveling outside the republic, and adding victories over Anatoly Tokov at League S-70: First Round, Gontarev Evgeny and others to his credit. And when his record was 10 wins and only 3 losses, the leaders of Fight Nights drew attention to the fighter. Having spent only one fight there against a little-known Brazilian, Magomedkerimov receives an invitation to the ACB, where he took part in the Grand Prix.

Absolute Championship Berkut

In the first round of the ACA Welterweight Grand Prix on March 9, 2014 at Absolute Championship Berkut - Grand Prix Berkut 2, Magomed faced Islam Yashaev, winning the bout 15 seconds into the bout due to doctor stoppage. In the Quarter-Finals, he would face Ibrahim Tibilov at Absolute Championship Berkut - Grand Prix Berkut 5, winning via unanimous decision, then winning his semi-final bout at Absolute Championship Berkut - Grand Prix Berkut 7 against Danyar Babakulov, winning by a second round TKO stoppage.

In the finals, Magomed faced Beslan Isaev on June 22, 2014 at Absolute Championship Berkut - Grand Prix Berkut 9, losing the bout via split decision.

Post ACB

After leaving ACB having failed to win the Grand Prix, Magomedkerimov garnered a 3-1 record on the regional scene, winning two of those bouts by first round submission, with the only loss being to future ONE Middleweight World Champion Vitaly Bigdash at ProFC 57 on March 29, 2015, getting submitted in the third round via rear-naked choke.

World Series of Fighting

At the end of 2016, he signs a contract with the WSOF. However, having one performance there against Bobby Cooper, and winning by a split decision of the judges, WSOF starts having problems and the company is bought out by new owners who are in no hurry to renew the contract with Magomed. Due to these delays, he was idle for almost 2 years, and as a result, he still got the opportunity to play in the league, only by that time it had been renamed the PFL.

Professional Fighters League

2018 Season

Magomed made his PFL debut on July 5, 2018, at PFL 3 against Herman Terrado, choking out Terrado at the end of the first round via rear-naked choke.

In his sophomore performance on August 16, 2018, at PFL 6, Magomed faced Bojan Veličkovic, winning the bout via unanimous decision and securing a spot in the playoffs.

On October 20, 2018, Magomedkerimov faced Pavel Kusch at PFL 10. He won the fight via unanimous decision to advance to the semifinals of the playoffs. In the semifinals, Magomedkerimov defeated Bojan Veličkovic in a rematch via technical knockout in the second round to advance to the Welterweight finals.

Magomedkerimov faced Ray Cooper III in the finals at PFL 11 on December 31, 2018. Magomed won the fight via a guillotine choke submission in the second round. In the process, he won the 2018 PFL Welterweight Tournament and $1 million dollar prize.

2019 Season

To start off the 2019 season on May 9, 2019 at PFL 1, Magomed faced John Howard, winning the bout via guillotine choke at the end of the first round.

In the second regular season bout Magomedkerimov faced Chris Curtis at PFL 4 on July 11, 2019. He wont the fight via unanimous decision and advanced to the playoffs.

In the quarterfinals Magomedkerimov faced Curtis in a rematch at PFL 7 on October 11, 2019. Again he won the bout via unanimous decision, However, after their bout Magomedkerimov fell ill.

2021 Season

Magomedkerimov was scheduled to face João Zeferino on April 29, 2021 at PFL 2, however he was forced to pull out of the bout due to unknown reasons.

Magomed faced Curtis Millinder at PFL 5 on June 17, 2021. Magomed won bout via ezekiel choke submission in the first round.

Magomedkerimov was rescheduled against João Zeferino in a Semi-Final match-up at PFL 7 on August 13, 2021, however Zeferino had to pull out and Sadibou Sy took his place. He won the bout via unanimous decision and advanced to the finals.

In finals, Magomed faced Ray Cooper III in rematch at PFL 10 on 27 October 2021. He lost bout after getting knocked out in the third round.

2022 Season

Magomedkerimov was once again rebooked against João Zeferino on May 6, 2022 at PFL 3, however Magomedkerimov pulled out of the bout due to visa issues and was replaced by Dilano Taylor.

For the fourth time, Magomedkerimov was scheduled to face off against João Zeferino at PFL 6 on July 1, 2022. At weigh-ins, Zeferino didn't weigh in and was replaced in his bout against Magomed Magomedkerimov by Dilano Taylor. Magomedkerimov won the bout via second round TKO stoppage.

Magomed faced Gleison Tibau on November 25, 2022 at PFL 10. He won fight via unanimous decision.

2023 Season

Magomed started off the 2023 season against Ben Egli on April 14, 2023 at PFL 3. He won the bout in the first round, getting a TKO stoppage via head kick.

Magomed faced David Zawada on June 23, 2023 at PFL 6. He won the fight via TKO in the first round.

In the semi-finals, Magomed was originally scheduled to face Magomed Umalatov at PFL 9 on August 23, 2023. However, Umalatov withdrew from the bout and was replaced by Solomon Renfro. Magomed won the fight by unanimous decision.

In the final, Magomed had a rematch with Sadibou Sy on November 24, 2023 at PFL 10. He won the fight via a guillotine choke submission in the third round to become a two-time PFL season champion. His guillotine choke victory, ultimately won the best finish of the year in PFL, as per fans' vote.

2024 Season

Magomed was scheduled to face Bellator welterweight champion Jason Jackson in a 3 round non-title crossover fight on February 24, 2024 at PFL vs. Bellator. However, Magomed withdrew from the bout due to injury in January 2024 and was replaced by PFL 2019 and 2021 winner Ray Cooper III.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

• Professional Fighters League
  • 2018 PFL Welterweight Championship
  • 2023 PFL Welterweight Championship

Pankration

• Winner of the 14th World Championship in pankration of Visei (Portugal), 2008;
• Winner of the World Championship in pankration in Omsk (Russia), November 13–16, 2009;
• Winner of the World Championship in Pankration in Varna (Bulgaria), October 5–09, 2010;
• Winner of the World Cup in Pankration in Baku (Azerbaijan) - 2009;
• Winner of the European Pankration Championship (Latvia) - 2009.

Army hand-to-hand combat

• Winner of the Czech Republic in hand-to-hand combat - 2008;
• Winner of the international tournament in hand-to-hand fighting, the Cup of “Kasptaysky Boksi” - 2008

Other

• Winner of the Thai Championship in Thai boxing - 2008;
• Winner of the Kudo EP Championship - 2008;
• Winner of the Eurasia hand-to-hand championship - 2009

Personal life

Magomed is married and has two sons.

Mixed martial arts record

See also

• List of current PFL fighters
• List of male mixed martial artists

References

1. "Магомед Магомедкеримов (Magomed Magomedkerimov): биография и лучшие бои чемпиона PFL - MMAExpress". mma.express. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
2. "Скачать Магомед Магомедкеримов - лучшие моменты - смотреть онлайн". V-S.Mobi (in Russian). Retrieved 2019-10-08.
3. Mercado, Eddie (2018-07-05). "PFL 3 results and highlights: Cooper III crushes Jake Shields, Kusch stuns Nurmagomedov". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2022-09-06.
4. "PFL 10 preview: Cooper III vs. Shields rematch among playoff fights in Washington DC". 20 October 2018.
5. "Ray Cooper III Blows Away Jake-Shields, Handesson Ferreira in PFL Welterweight Playoffs".
6. "Ray Cooper III Interview: PFL, Magomedkerimov Rematch, Standin' and Bangin' - the Fight Library". 30 May 2019.
7. "Магомед Магомедкеримов победил Джона Ховарда". AllBoxing.ru - все новости бокса, ММА (MMA), UFC (ЮФС), Bellator, ACA, бои без правил. Видео и фото, прямые трансляции (in Russian). 2019-05-10. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
8. Dan Hiergesell (May 24, 2019). "Undefeated MMA sensation Kayla Harrison set for July 11 return at PFL 15". mmamania.com.
9. Jay Anderson (July 11, 2019). "PFL 4 2019 Results: Magomed Magomedkerimov Gets Tough Test From Chris Curtis, Secures Decision Win". cagesidepress.com.
10. Alexander K. Lee (September 4, 2019). "PFL announces 2019 playoff schedule, lineups". mmafighting.com.
11. Nick Baldwin (October 12, 2019). "Chris Curtis retires twice in one night after PFL 7 losses". bloodyelbow.com.
12. Sherdog.com. "Gleison Tibau Meets Joao Zeferino at PFL 2 After Two Fighters Withdraw from Card". Sherdog. Retrieved 2021-04-25.
13. Newswire, MMA Fighting (2021-05-19). "Rory MacDonald vs. Gleison Tibau headlines PFL 5 main card with welterweights and light heavyweights". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
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17. Alexander, Mookie (2021-08-28). "Here are the six tournament finals for the PFL 2021 season finale". Bloody Elbow. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
18. Anderson, Jay (2021-10-27). "PFL Championship 2021 Results: Ray Cooper III Exacts His Revenge Against Magomed Magomedkerimov". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
19. "Magomed Magomedkerimov is out of tomorrow's 2022 PFL 3 due to visa issues". Twitter. Retrieved 2022-05-05.
20. Holland, Jesse (2022-06-01). "Kayla Harrison, Rory MacDonald join PFL 6 lineup on July 1 in Atlanta". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2022-06-01.
21. "PFL 2022, Week 6 weigh-in results: Kayla Harrison, Rory MacDonald official; Dilano Taylor steps in late". MMA Junkie. 2022-06-30. Retrieved 2022-07-01.
22. Meshew, Jed (2022-07-01). "PFL 6 Results: Kayla Harrison bullies Kaitlin Young, Ray Cooper III wins in 24 brutal seconds". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2023-03-26.
23. Critchfield, Tristen. "Magomed Magomedkerimov vs. Gleison Tibau Added to PFL Championships on Nov. 25". Sherdog. Retrieved 2022-10-26.
24. "Gleison Tibau sofre com envergadura de russo e perde por pontos na PFL 10 2022". SUPER LUTAS (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2022-11-25. Retrieved 2022-11-26.
25. Head, Simon (6 March 2023). "Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. Shane Burgos to headline PFL 3 in Las Vegas". Fighters Only. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
26. "Magomed Magomedkerimov looks every bit like the 2018 PFL World Champion with a one minute KO". pflmma.com. Retrieved 2023-04-22.
27. Lee, Alexander K. (2023-05-12). "PFL announces second-half event lineups following 9 fighters receiving drug test suspensions". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2023-05-14.
28. Al-Shatti, Shaun (2023-06-24). "PFL 6 results: Olivier Aubin-Mercier advances with wicked knee knockout; Shane Burgos misses playoffs". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
29. "Ferreira-Greene leads pair of PFL cards in N.Y." ESPN.com. 2023-07-12. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
30. Anderson, Jay (2023-08-14). "Solomon Renfro Steps Up, Replaces Magomed Umalatov in PFL Playoffs". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
31. "Magomed Magomedkerimov earns decision to make Welterweight World Title fight for third time, now looks for second PFL title". www.pflmma.com. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
32. "Meet the 2023 PFL finalists, including three potential repeat $1 million winners". MMA Junkie. 2023-08-25. Retrieved 2023-09-14.
33. Dewar, Val (2023-11-25). "Magomed Magomedkerimov Subs Sadibou Sy, Wins Second 170lb Title at 2023 PFL Championship". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-11-26.
34. "The PFL Fan Token Holders have spoken and the results are in‼️". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2024-06-09.
35. Nolan King (2024-01-22). "Ray Cooper III replaces Magomed Magomedkerimov at PFL vs. Bellator event, faces Jason Jackson". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 2024-01-22.
36. "Magomed Magomedkerimov | MMA Junkie". Retrieved 2019-10-07.
37. "Magomed Magomedkerimov Stats, News, Bio". ESPN. Retrieved 2019-10-07.
38. Sherdog.com. "Magomed Magomedkerimov". Sherdog.

External links

• Professional MMA record for Magomed Magomedkerimov from Sherdog

• Living people
• 1990 births
• Russian male mixed martial artists
• Dagestani mixed martial artists
• Welterweight mixed martial artists
• Mixed martial artists utilizing ARB
• Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai
• Mixed martial artists utilizing pankration
• Mixed martial artists utilizing kūdō
• Professional Fighters League male fighters
• Russian Muay Thai practitioners
• 21st-century Russian sportsmen