Tagir Radzhabovich Ulanbekov (Russian: Тагир Раджабович Уланбеков; born July 8, 1991) is a Russian professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is also the former Fight Nights Global Flyweight Champion. Ulanbekov is a one-time world champion,[5] one-time Eurasian champion[6] and one-time European cup winner in combat sambo for his team, SC Bazarganova.[7] As of November 5, 2024, he is #11 in the UFC flyweight rankings.[8]

Тagir Ulanbekov
BornTagir Radzhabovich Ulanbekov[1]
(1991-07-08) July 8, 1991 (age 33)
Dylym, Dagestan ASSR, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Native nameТагир Уланбеков
NationalityRussian
Height5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Weight125 lb (57 kg; 8 st 13 lb)
DivisionFlyweight
Reach70 in (178 cm)[2]
StyleSambo
Fighting out ofMakhachkala, Dagestan, Russia
TeamAmerican Kickboxing Academy[3]
Eagles MMA
SC Bazarganova[4]
Years active2013–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total17
Wins15
By knockout1
By submission8
By decision6
Losses2
By decision2
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Medal record
Men's Combat Sambo
Representing  Russia
ECSF European Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2012 Kishinev −57 kg
Gold medal – first place 2012 Yalta −57 kg
Gold medal – first place 2014 Yalta −57 kg
WCSF World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2014 Moscow −57 kg

Background

edit

Tagir Ulanbekov was born to an Avar family on July 8, 1991, in the village of Dylym in the Kazbekovsky District of the Republic of Dagestan.[9][10]

As a child, Ulanbekov began wrestling after his uncle took him to a wrestling section named after Saypulla Absaidov.[9][11] When Ulanbekov was 8 years old, he moved to Makhachkala, Dagestan.[9] In Makhachkala, he joined the ranks of Eagles MMA and was coached by Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov.[9] There, he trained alongside fighters such as Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev.

Growing up, Tagir worked in the bazaar, helping his mother.[12][13]

Mixed martial arts career

edit

Early career

edit

Ulanbekov won his first career victory over Magomednur Aglarov at the "Liga Kavkaz - Grand Umakhan Battle" tournament. He would go on to win 7 bouts in a row, and won the Fight Night Global Flyweight title, where he submitted Artan Asatryan in the fourth round via guillotine choke at Fight Nights Global 76. Ulanbekov would face defeat for the first time in his career against fellow future UFC fighter Zhalgas Zhumagulov at Fight Nights Global 88, losing the close bout by majority decision.[14][15] He would then compete under the banner of Gorilla Fighting Championship (Now Eagle FC), where he went 3-0 and captured the GF Flyweight Championship.[16]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

edit

Ulanbekov was scheduled to face Bruno Gustavo da Silva on September 12, 2020, at UFC Fight Night: Waterson vs. Hill.[17] However, due to travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the pairing was rescheduled and took place four weeks later at UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen.[18] Ulanbekov won the fight via unanimous decision.[19]

Ulanbekov was scheduled to face Matheus Nicolau on January 24, 2021 at UFC 257.[20] However, Ulanbekov withdrew due to undisclosed reasons.[21] The pairing was eventually rescheduled for UFC Fight Night 187.[22] However, Ulanbekov withdrew from the bout the second time for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Manel Kape.[23]

Ulanbekov was scheduled to face Tyson Nam on June 19, 2021, at UFC on ESPN 25.[24] However, the bout was never officially announced by the promotion and the matchup did not take place on the card due to an undisclosed illness for Ulanbekov.[25]

Ulanbekov faced Allan Nascimento on October 30, 2021, at UFC 267.[26] He won the fight via split decision.[27]

Ulanbekov faced Tim Elliott on March 5, 2022, at UFC 272.[28] He lost the fight via unanimous decision.[29] 12 out of 17 media scores gave it to Ulanbekov.[30]

Ulanbekov was scheduled to face Tyson Nam on June 25, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 38[31] but pulled out due to undisclosed injury.[31]

Ulanbekov faced Nate Maness on November 5, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 214.[32] He won the fight via a guillotine choke submission in the first round.[33]

Ulanbekov faced Cody Durden on December 16, 2023, at UFC 296.[34] He won the fight via a face crank submission in the second round.[35]

Ulanbekov was scheduled to face Alex Perez on June 15, 2024, at UFC on ESPN 58.[36] However, the bout was changed and Ulanbekov ended up being scheduled to face Joshua Van at that event instead.[37] In turn, the bout against Van was cancelled when Ulanbekov weighed in at 129.5 pounds, three and a half pounds over the flyweight non-title fight limit.[38]

Ulanbekov is scheduled to face Clayton Carpenter on January 18, 2025 at UFC 311.[39]

Professional Grappling career

edit

Ulanbekov competed against Jussier Formiga in the co-main event of ADXC 6 on October 25, 2024.[40] He lost the match by unanimous decision.[41]

Championships and accomplishments

edit

Mixed martial arts

edit

Sambo

edit
  • Russian Combat Sambo Federation (RCSF)
    •  Russian Professional Combat Sambo Championship-Samara, Russia (2014) at 57 kg[42]
  • European Combat Sambo Federation (ECSF)
    •  European Combat Sambo Championship-Kishinev, Moldova (2012) at 57 kg[43]
    •  European Cup in Combat Sambo among Clubs-Yalta, Crimea (2012) at 57 kg representing SC Bazarganova[44]
    •  Combat Sambo Eurasia Championship-Yalta, Crimea (2014) at 57 kg[45]
  • World Combat Sambo Federation (WCSF)
    •  World Combat Sambo Championship-Moscow, Russia (2014) at 57 kg[46]

Mixed martial arts record

edit
Professional record breakdown
17 matches 15 wins 2 losses
By knockout 1 0
By submission 8 0
By decision 6 2
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 15–2 Cody Durden Submission (face crank) UFC 296 December 16, 2023 2 4:25 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 14–2 Nate Maness Submission (guillotine choke) UFC Fight Night: Rodriguez vs. Lemos November 5, 2022 1 2:11 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Loss 13–2 Tim Elliott Decision (unanimous) UFC 272 March 5, 2022 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 13–1 Allan Nascimento Decision (split) UFC 267 October 30, 2021 3 5:00 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Win 12–1 Bruno Gustavo da Silva Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Moraes vs. Sandhagen October 11, 2020 3 5:00 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Win 11–1 Denilson Matos Submission (guillotine choke) Gorilla Fighting 22 December 13, 2019 2 1:18 Krasnodar, Russia Defended the GF Flyweight Championship.
Win 10–1 Denis Araujo Submission (rear-naked choke) Gorilla Fighting 17 September 27, 2019 2 3:19 Atyrau, Kazakhstan Defended the GF Flyweight Championship.
Win 9–1 Aleksandr Podlesniy Decision (unanimous) Gorilla Fighting 11 May 3, 2019 3 5:00 Penza, Russia Won the GF Flyweight Championship.
Loss 8–1 Zhalgas Zhumagulov Decision (majority) Fight Nights Global 88 August 31, 2018 3 5:00 Astana, Kazakhstan Lost the FNG Flyweight Championship.
Win 8–0 Vartan Asatryan Submission (guillotine choke) Fight Nights Global 76 October 8, 2017 4 1:39 Krasnodar, Russia Won the FNG Flyweight Championship.
Win 7–0 Shajidul Haque Decision (unanimous) Fight Nights Global 65 May 19, 2017 3 5:00 Astana, Kazakhstan Bantamweight bout.
Win 6–0 Asu Almabayev TKO (submission to punches) Fight Nights Global 58 January 28, 2017 3 4:51 Kaspiysk, Russia Flyweight debut.
Win 5–0 Shyngys Kairanov Decision (unanimous) Fight Nights Global 54 November 16, 2016 3 5:00 Rostov-on-Don, Russia Catchweight (130 lb) bout.
Win 4–0 Alexander Nesterov Submission (rear-naked choke) PRIDE Fighting Show: The Stars of World MMA April 23, 2016 1 2:18 Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
Win 3–0 Ivan Andrushchenko Decision (majority) Fight Star: Battle on the Volga May 30, 2015 2 5:00 Saratov, Russia
Win 2–0 Nurtilek Yerkuatuly Submission (armbar) Liga Kavkaz: Battle in Babayurt February 1, 2015 1 2:48 Dagestan, Russia
Win 1–0 Magomednur Aglarov Submission (armbar) Liga Kavkaz: Grand Umakhan Battle July 7, 2013 1 4:50 Khunzakh, Russia Bantamweight debut.

[47]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "Тагир Уланбеков Биография". mma.express (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-06-22.
  2. ^ a b "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com. Retrieved 2020-10-04.
  3. ^ "Welcome to the UFC: Tagir Ulanbekov". 9 October 2020.
  4. ^ "EUROPEAN CUP IN COMBAT SAMBO AMONG CLUBS 2012. RESULTS » European Combat Sambo Federation".
  5. ^ "World Combat Sambo Championship (WCSF). December 16, 2014. Moscow. Russia. Results » European Combat Sambo Federation". ecsambo.org. Retrieved 2022-05-10.
  6. ^ "Combat Sambo Eurasia Championship. September 12-13, 2014. Yalta. Crimea. Results » European Combat Sambo Federation". ecsambo.org. Retrieved 2022-05-10.
  7. ^ "EUROPEAN CUP IN COMBAT SAMBO AMONG CLUBS 2012. RESULTS » European Combat Sambo Federation". ecsambo.org. Retrieved 2022-05-10.
  8. ^ "UFC Rankings, Division Rankings, P4P rankings, UFC Champions | UFC.com". www.ufc.com. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
  9. ^ a b c d "Я не люблю читать историю, я её создаю" Тагир Уланбеков подготовка к Fights Nights Global, 12 May 2017, retrieved 2022-10-09
  10. ^ "Тагир Уланбеков боец ММА". sport-express.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-06-22.
  11. ^ Тагир Уланбеков, боец команды "Eagles MMA", 19 January 2017, retrieved 2022-10-09
  12. ^ Еще один боец из команды Хабиба - ТАГИР УЛАНБЕКОВ, В #UFC!, 27 May 2020, retrieved 2022-10-09
  13. ^ "Tagir Ulanbekov | UFC". www.ufc.com. 2020-05-22. Retrieved 2022-10-09.
  14. ^ ""Я выиграл у Жалгаса и даже получил гонорар за победу". Российский боец - о поражении от Жумагулова, судействе и реванше с казахстанцем в UFC". Vesti.kz (in Russian). Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  15. ^ "Fight Nights 88 Жалгас Жумагулов завоевал чемпионский титул, победив Тагира Уланбекова". Prosports.kz (in Russian). 31 August 2018. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  16. ^ "UFC Fight Island 5: Who is flyweight Tagir Ulanbekov?". FanSided. 2020-10-09. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
  17. ^ "Tagir Ulanbekov maakt op 12 september tegen Bruno Silva zijn UFC debuut". MMA DNA. 2020-07-17. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  18. ^ Alexander Petzel-Gligorea (2020-09-06). "Who is fighting against whom? KW 36/2020". gnp1.de. Archived from the original on 2021-03-05. Retrieved 2022-02-28. (in German)
  19. ^ Bitter, Shawn (2020-10-10). "UFC Fight Island 5 Results: Tagir Ulanbekov Takes Competitive Debut Over Bruno Silva". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  20. ^ DNA, MMA (2020-12-18). "Tagir Ulanbekov vs. Matheus Nicolau toegevoegd aan UFC 257 op 23 januari 2021". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
  21. ^ Guilherme Cruz (2020-12-19). "Matheus Nicolau re-signs with UFC, needs new opponent for UFC 257 after Tagir Ulanbekov withdraws". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2020-12-21.
  22. ^ Raphael Marinho (2021-01-12). "Ultimate sends Matheus Nicolau vs. Tagir Ulanbekov to March 13". globoesporte.globo.com. Retrieved 2021-01-13. (in Portuguese)
  23. ^ DNA, MMA (2021-03-04). "Manel Kape pakt short notice partij tegen Matheus Nicolau op 13 maart". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2021-03-04.
  24. ^ Nolan King and John Morgan (2021-03-24). "Tagir Ulanbekov to fight Tyson Nam at UFC event on June 19". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
  25. ^ Harkin, Jamie (2022-08-13). "MMA Twitter Reacts To Tyson Nam's Flawlessly Timed KO Of Osbourne". MMA News | UFC News, Results & Interviews. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  26. ^ Dorff Marcel (2021-08-03). "Tagir Ulanbekov treft UFC debutant Allan Nascimento tijdens UFC 267 in Abu Dhabi". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  27. ^ Bitter, Shawn (2021-10-30). "UFC 267 Results: Tagir Ulanbekov Spoils Allan Nascimento's UFC Debut". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-02-28.
  28. ^ "Tim Elliott vs. Tagir Ulanbekov toegevoegd aan UFC 272 op 5 maart". MMA DNA. 2021-12-24. Retrieved 2022-02-26.
  29. ^ Behunin, Alex (2022-03-05). "UFC 272: Tim Elliott Shocks Tagir Ulanbekov, Wins Unanimous Decision". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-03-06.
  30. ^ "Tim Elliott def. Tagir Ulanbekov :: UFC 272 :: MMA Decisions". www.mmadecisions.com. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
  31. ^ a b "Tyson Nam schedule to fight Dagestan's Tagir Ulanbekov – Hawaii Fighter News – It's Fight Week Hawaii!! Xclusive MMA". 14 April 2022. Retrieved 2022-04-14.
  32. ^ "Nate Maness baja a los pesos moscas, enfrenta a Tagir Ulanbekov en UFC Fight Night del 5 de noviembre - MMA.uno, #1 En noticias de Artes Marciales Mixtas (MMA) en Español". mma.uno (in Spanish). 2022-08-10. Retrieved 2022-08-10.
  33. ^ Mike Bohn (2022-11-05). "UFC Fight Night 214 video: Tagir Ulanbekov spoils Nate Maness' flyweight debut with standing choke". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2022-11-05.
  34. ^ Desk, ITN News (2023-09-24). "Tagir Ulanbekov vs Cody Durden Set for UFC 296 PPV". www.itnwwe.com. Retrieved 2023-09-25. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  35. ^ Theodosi, Jamie (2023-12-16). "Tagir Ulanbekov Picks Up Second Consecutive Sub, Beats Cody Durden at UFC 296". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-12-16.
  36. ^ Raghuwanshi, Vipin (2024-03-22). "Alex Perez vs Tagir Ulanbekov Reported for UFC Event on June 15". www.itnwwe.com. Retrieved 2024-03-22.
  37. ^ Riggs, Drake (2024-05-13). "Shake-up! UFC Vegas 93 re-arranges matchups, Alex Perez vs. Tatsuro Taira now headlines". MMAmania.com. Retrieved 2024-05-13.
  38. ^ "UFC on ESPN 58 weigh-in results: Ranked flyweight misses mark by 3.5 pounds, fight scrapped". MMA Junkie. 2024-06-14. Retrieved 2024-06-14.
  39. ^ Damon Martin (2024-12-05). "New fights announced for UFC 311 including Renato Moicano vs. Beneil Dariush". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
  40. ^ Lindsey, Alex. "Full ADXC 6 Card Released". Jits Magazine. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  41. ^ "ADXC 6 Full Results And Highlights". Jits Magazine. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
  42. ^ "XXI Чемпионат России по профессиональному боевому самбо среди мужчин в г.Москве 15.11.2014г". bsambo.ru. Retrieved 2024-03-05.
  43. ^ "European Combat Sambo Championship 2012. September 8. Moldova. Results of competitions » European Combat Sambo Federation". ecsambo.org. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  44. ^ "EUROPEAN CUP IN COMBAT SAMBO AMONG CLUBS 2012. RESULTS » European Combat Sambo Federation". ecsambo.org. Retrieved 2022-04-10.
  45. ^ "Combat Sambo Eurasia Championship. September 12-13, 2014. Yalta. Crimea. Results » European Combat Sambo Federation". ecsambo.org. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  46. ^ "World Combat Sambo Championship (WCSF). December 16, 2014. Moscow. Russia. Results » European Combat Sambo Federation". ecsambo.org. Retrieved 2022-04-11.
  47. ^ Sherdog.com. "Tagir Ulanbekov". Sherdog. Retrieved 2020-08-07.
edit