Khabib Nurmagomedov was an inspiration for the fighters and fans on how to be respectful to opponents. Aside from his beef with Conor McGregor, Khabib has treated all of his opponents with respect. However, it does not look like his cousin Abubakar Nurmagomedov follows the same principles. At UFC Vegas 74, Nurmagomedov faced off against Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos in the opening bout of the main card.
While it was not the most entertaining bout in the world, both Abubakar Nurmagomedov and Elizeu Zaleski gave it their all to secure the win. As per UFC stats, the Brazilian fighter landed 50 strikes in total with 42 significant strikes. Nurmagomedov was close in terms of total strikes landed with 48. However, the Dagestani fighter trailed in the significant strikes department, with only 29 strikes out of an attempted 54.
Getting the hard fought split decision 💪
— UFC (@ufc) June 4, 2023
[ @ElizeuCapoeira | #UFCVegas74 ] pic.twitter.com/R7usZTz9Af
In terms of grappling, which was Abubakar Nurmagomedov’s strong suit, he secured only 1 takedown out of an attempted 8. However, he did have a lot of ground control with a total of 6:16 minutes. But, that did not earn him the win as the two judges had the fight 29-28 for Zaleski. However, later in the main event, Amir Albazi, who had similar stats against Kai Kara France in the main event, got the judges’ nod.
FOI SUADO! Na 1a luta do card principal, o brasileiro Elizeu “Capoeira” foi dominado inicialmente por Abubakar Nurmagomedov, mas reagiu e venceu por decisão dividida no #UFCVegas74! pic.twitter.com/tBnYYsKIvf
— Esporte Na Band (@esportenaband) June 4, 2023
But the result of the bout was overshadowed by what happened immediately after the final bell rang. The bout ended with Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos landing a knee right on the buzzer. Once the fighters separated, Nurmagomedov was visibly angry with his opponent for the knee.
Hence, seemingly out of frustration, the 33-year-old fighter slapped his opponent. Thankfully Zaleski did not react to the move and the incident did not result in an all-out brawl.
Belal Muhammad supports Abubakar Nurmagomedov slapping his opponent at UFC Vegas 74
Belal Muhammad is a close associate of the Nurmagomedov family. The welterweight fighter held his UFC 280 fight camp with Khabib Nurmagomedov. Hence, Muhammad shares a good bond with The Eagle and his cousin, Abubakar Nurmagomedov. So it did not come as a surprise when Belal sent out a tweet to support his friend. After Nurmagomedov slapped his opponent, Belal simply tweeted, “Slapped him.”
Bad decision bro that was Abubaker
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) June 4, 2023
He followed it up with another tweet where he claimed the judges got the decision wrong. The former UFC welterweight title contender Darren Till even predicted that Muhammad would come out in support of his friends. Although the decision is certainly disputed, the fans were more concerned about the way Nurmagomedov decided to lash out at his opponent after the final bell.
Here are some fan reactions on the matter
He should be kicked out of Ufc for that
— Deepak Singh (@DeepakSingh147) June 4, 2023
Not only did he lose , he should have been docked a point for that slap and lost even harder . Why don’t you be honest instead of being a biased radical. I know you used to it with Palestine but you gotta get out of that mentality
— HerbDeanGoldStandardBets (@HerbDeanGold) June 4, 2023
Cheap shot from a loser
— Ronin (@Roninsmma) June 4, 2023
Called being a sore loser.
— Boston Sports Club (@SportsclubBOS) June 4, 2023
if dos santos did it you’d be pissed
— Enrique 🪼 (@strip4enrique) June 4, 2023
hold the L loser
— RR🫶🏻🇨🇦 (@scorpiobae01) June 4, 2023
Should be disqualified
— Ehrmantraut (@butchClazen) June 4, 2023
A-BUM-BAKAR gotta drop that last name. The true Nurmagomedovs (Khabib,Umar,Usman) undefeated 😤
— 𝑳𝒐𝒖𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐨 📸 (@LoulitoMMA) June 4, 2023
What are your thoughts on the matter? Do you think Abubakar Nurmgomedov should face consequences for his actions at UFC Vegas 74? Let us know in the comments down below.
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