Zubaira Alikhanovich Tukhugov (born January 15, 1991) is a Russian mixed martial artist, who fought in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional MMA competitor since 2010, Tukhugov made a name for himself, fighting in promotions like Cage Warriors, ProFC, Fight Nights (EFN) and others, before joining the UFC in 2014.

Zubaira Tukhugov
Born (1991-01-15) January 15, 1991 (age 33)
Grozny, Checheno-Ingush ASSR, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Other namesWarrior
NationalityRussian
Height5 ft 8 in (173 cm)
Weight158 lb (72 kg; 11 st 4 lb)
DivisionFeatherweight (2013–2022)
Lightweight (2010–2013, 2022–present)
Reach72+12 in (184 cm)
StanceOrthodox
Fighting out ofGrozny, Chechnya
Moscow, Russia
TeamAmerican Kickboxing Academy (2016-current)
Krepyost
Berkut Fight Club
RankMaster of Sports in Combat Sambo[1]
Master of Sports in Hand-to-Hand Combat[1]
Years active2010–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total27
Wins20
By knockout7
By submission1
By decision12
Losses6
By knockout1
By submission1
By decision4
Draws1
Other information
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Mixed martial arts career edit

Tukhugov made his professional debut in 2010 beating his three opponents by winning Pankration Atrium Cup 2 eight man, one night tournament.[2] After a 10-3 mixed martial arts records, he would be signed by the Russian promotion, Fight Nights, where he won all of his 3 fights, defeating Romano De Los Reyes,[3] Harun Kina[4] and Vaso Bakocevic.[5] During his time on Fight Nights, Tukhugov did a fight for Cage Warriors, defeating Denys Pidnebesnyi at CWFC 58.[6]

Ultimate Fighting Championship edit

In December 2013, it was announced that Tukhugov had signed a contract with UFC and was scheduled to make his promotional debut against Thiago Tavares on February 15 at UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Mousasi.[7] However, Tavares was forced to pull out due to an undisclosed injury, and was replaced by UFC newcomer Douglas Silva de Andrade.[8] Tukhugov dominated the fight and got a unanimous decision win.[9]

Tukhugov later faced Ernest Chavez on October 4, at UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Story.[10] He won the fight via technical knockout due to punches in the first round.[11]

Tukhugov was expected to face Thiago Tavares on June 6, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 68[12] However, the pairing was scrapped after Tukhugov suffered a rib injury.

Tukhugov faced Phillipe Nover on December 10, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 80.[13] He won the fight by split decision.[14]

Tukhugov next faced Renato Moicano on May 14, 2016 at UFC 198.[15] In a controversial series of events, despite Tukhogov suffering a kick to the groin in the first round and again in the second round, referee Eduardo Herdy signaled the competitors to continue.[16][17] Tukhogov lost the fight via split decision.

Tukhugov was expected to face Tiago Trator on December 9, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 102.[18] However, on November 14, Tukhugov was pulled from the card after being notified by USADA of a potential anti-doping violation stemming from an out-of-competition sample collected earlier.[19] In February 2018, it was announced that Tukhugov received a two years USADA suspension and contributed USD ten thousand dollar for the arbitration proceedings in testing positive for ostarine from a sample collected on October 29, 2016.[20]

Tukhugov was scheduled to face Artem Lobov on October 27, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 138.[21] However, it was reported that Tukhugov was removed from the fight due his role in the UFC 229 post-fight melee.[22]

After a three-year lay-off, Tukhugov returned to face Lerone Murphy on September 7, 2019 at UFC 242.[23] The back-and-forth fight ended in a split draw with one judge assigning each fighter a 29-28 win and the third seeing it as a 28-28 draw.[24]

Tukhugov faced Kevin Aguilar on February 23, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 168.[25] He won the fight via TKO in the first round.[26]

Tukhugov faced Hakeem Dawodu on September 27, 2020 at UFC 253.[27] At the weigh-ins, Tukhugov weighed in at 150 pounds, four pounds over the non-title featherweight fight limit. The bout proceeded at a catchweight and Tukhugov was fined a percentage of his purse, which went to his opponent Dawodu.[28] Tukhugov lost the fight via split decision.[29]

Tukhugov was scheduled to face Ricardo Ramos on March 13, 2021 at UFC Fight Night 187.[30] A week before the event, Tukhugov pulled out due to undisclosed reasons.[31] Promotion officials elected to remove Ramos from the card entirely.[32] The Ramos bout was rescheduled for October 30, 2021 at UFC 267.[33] He won the bout via unanimous decision.[34]

Tukhugov was scheduled to face Nate Landwehr on August 6, 2022 at UFC on ESPN 40,[35] However, Tukhugov pulled out of the fight due to alleged visa issues which restricted his travel.[36]

Tukhugov was scheduled to face Lucas Almeida on October 22, 2022 at UFC 280. The bout was canceled just minutes before weigh-ins, due to weight management issues.[37]

Tukhugov was scheduled to face Joel Álvarez on February 14, 2023 at UFC 284.[38] However, Alvarez withrew from the event for undisclosed reasons and he was replaced by promotional newcomer Elves Brenner.[39] At the weigh-ins, Tukhugov weighed in at 157.5 pounds, one and a half pound over the lightweight non-title fight limit. The bout proceeded at catchweight and Tukhugov was fined 30% of his purse, which went to Brenner.[40] He lost the fight via split decision.[41]

On February 28, 2023 Tukhugov was released from the UFC roster.[42]

Controversies edit

UFC 229 Nurmagomedov-McGregor post-fight incident edit

At UFC 229, Khabib Nurmagomedov jumped the cage after his victory and charged toward Conor McGregor's team mate Dillon Danis. Soon after, McGregor and Khabib's cousin Abubakar Nurmagomedov attempted to exit the octagon, but a scuffle broke out between them after McGregor hit Abubakar, who then punched him back. Tukhugov jumped the cage and punched McGregor before security pulled him [43][44] and Asadulla Emiragaev away.[45] On January 29, 2019, the NSAC announced a one-year suspension for Tukhugov, (retroactive to October 6, 2018) and a $25,000 fine.[46] On May 22, 2019, NSAC reduced the suspensions by 35 days which allowed Tukhugov to be eligible to compete again on September 1, 2019.[47]

Mixed martial arts record edit

Professional record breakdown
27 matches 20 wins 6 losses
By knockout 7 1
By submission 1 1
By decision 12 4
Draws 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 20–6–1 Elves Brenner Decision (split) UFC 284 February 12, 2023 3 5:00 Perth, Australia Return to Lightweight; Tukhugov missed weight (157.5 lbs).
Win 20–5–1 Ricardo Ramos Decision (unanimous) UFC 267 October 30, 2021 3 5:00 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Loss 19–5–1 Hakeem Dawodu Decision (split) UFC 253 September 27, 2020 3 5:00 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Catchweight (150 lb) bout; Tukhugov missed weight.
Win 19–4–1 Kevin Aguilar TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Felder vs. Hooker February 23, 2020 1 3:21 Auckland, New Zealand
Draw 18–4–1 Lerone Murphy Draw (split) UFC 242 September 7, 2019 3 5:00 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Loss 18–4 Renato Moicano Decision (split) UFC 198 May 14, 2016 3 5:00 Curitiba, Brazil
Win 18–3 Phillipe Nover Decision (split) UFC Fight Night: Namajunas vs. VanZant December 10, 2015 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 17–3 Ernest Chavez TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Story October 4, 2014 1 4:21 Stockholm, Sweden
Win 16–3 Douglas Silva de Andrade Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Mousasi February 15, 2014 3 5:00 Jaraguá do Sul, Brazil
Win 15–3 Vaso Bakočević KO (spinning back kick) Fight Nights - Battle of Moscow 13 October 26, 2013 1 4:30 Moscow, Russia Featherweight debut.
Win 14–3 Denys Pidnebesnyi Decision (unanimous) CWFC 58 August 24, 2013 3 5:00 Grozny, Russia Catchweight (158 lb) bout.
Win 13–3 Kuat Khamitov Decision (split) Alash Pride - Great Battle March 30, 2013 2 5:00 Almaty, Kazakhstan
Win 12–3 Harun Kina TKO (punches) Fight Nights - Battle of Moscow 10 February 23, 2013 1 2:30 Moscow, Russia Catchweight (157 lb) bout.
Win 11–3 Romano De Los Reyes Decision (unanimous) Fight Nights - Battle of Moscow 8 November 3, 2012 2 5:00 Moscow, Russia
Win 10–3 Anatoliy Pokrovsky Decision (unanimous) League S-70: Russian Championship Finals August 11, 2012 1 1:43 Sochi, Russia
Loss 9–3 Akhmet Aliev KO (head kick) League S-70: Russian Championship SF May 25, 2012 1 3:19 Moscow, Russia
Win 9–2 Ivan Lapin Decision (split) League S-70: Russian Championship 3rd Round April 6, 2012 3 5:00 Moscow, Russia Return to Lightweight.
Win 8–2 Risim Mislimov Decision (unanimous) MMA Corona Cup 20 February 17, 2012 3 5:00 Moscow, Russia Welterweight debut.
Loss 7–2 Anton Telepnev Decision (split) ProFC 22 December 17, 2010 3 5:00 Rostov, Russia
Win 7–1 Murad Abdulaev TKO (doctor stoppage) ProFC - Russia Cup Stage 1 November 13, 2010 1 5:00 Taganrog, Russia Russia Cup Stage 1 Lightweight Tournament Final.
Win 6–1 Rasul Shovhalov Decision (unanimous) ProFC - Russia Cup Stage 1 November 13, 2010 2 5:00 Taganrog, Russia Russia Cup Stage 1 Lightweight Tournament Semifinal.
Loss 5–1 Murad Machaev Submission (rear-naked choke) Fight Nights - Battle of Moscow 1 June 5, 2010 1 1:17 Moscow, Russia Battle of Moscow 1 Lightweight Tournament Final.
Win 5–0 Danil Turinghe TKO (punches) Fight Nights - Battle of Moscow 1 June 5, 2010 1 1:26 Moscow, Russia Battle of Moscow 1 Lightweight Tournament Semifinal.
Win 4–0 Evgeniy Slonskiy Decision (unanimous) ProFC - Commonwealth Cup April 23, 2010 2 5:00 Moscow, Russia
Win 3–0 Viktor Finagin Submission (rear-naked choke) Pankration Atrium Cup 2 March 10, 2010 2 N/A Moscow, Russia Pankration Atrium Cup 2 Lightweight Tournament Final.
Win 2–0 Roman Markovich Decision (unanimous) Pankration Atrium Cup 2 March 10, 2010 3 5:00 Moscow, Russia Pankration Atrium Cup 2 Lightweight Tournament Semifinal.
Win 1–0 Isa Musaev Decision (unanimous) Pankration Atrium Cup 2 March 10, 2010 3 5:00 Moscow, Russia Lightweight debut. Pankration Atrium Cup 2 Lightweight Opening Round.

[48]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Zubaira Tukhugov - Former UFC Fighter Profile". UFC.com. Archived from the original on November 17, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  2. ^ "Zubaira Tukhugov ("Warrior") | MMA Fighter Page".
  3. ^ "Undercard Superstar". Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2014-11-15.
  4. ^ "Zubair Tukhugov Vs Harun Kina Fight Video from Battle of Moscow 10 on 2/23/13". Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2014-11-15.
  5. ^ "Owh联盟外投".
  6. ^ "Cage Warriors 58 in Chechnya | MMA Junkie". Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  7. ^ "Thiago Tavares drops to featherweight and meets Zubaira Tukhugov at UFC Fight Night 36". 6 December 2013.
  8. ^ Staff (2014-02-06). "Newcomer Douglas de Andrade meets Zubair Tuhugov at UFC Fight Night 36". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2014-02-06.
  9. ^ "UFC Fight Night 36 Play-by-Play: Douglas Silva vs. Zubair Tukhugov". MMAWeekly.com. 2014-02-15. Retrieved 2022-08-12.
  10. ^ "Featherweights Ernest Chavez, Zubaira Tukhugov Added to UFC Fight Night in Sweden". Sherdog. Retrieved 2022-11-24.
  11. ^ "MMA and UFC live news | UFC Fight Night 53 results: Zubaira Tukhugov pounds out Ernest Chavez in first round -". Archived from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
  12. ^ "Zubaira Tukhugovv vs. Thiago Tavares". chechensport.com. Archived from the original on May 24, 2015. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
  13. ^ Staff (2015-09-17). "UFC Fight Night 80 gets slew of new bouts". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-09-17.
  14. ^ Ben Fowlkes (2015-12-10). "UFC Fight Night 80 results: Zubaira Tukhugov takes split decision over Phillipe Nover". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2015-12-10.
  15. ^ Tristen Critchfield (2016-03-15). "UFC 198 update: Zubaira Tukhugov vs. Renato Carneiro set for May 14 in Brazil". sherdog.com. Retrieved 2016-03-15.
  16. ^ "UFC 198 play-by-play and live results". mmajunkie.com. May 14, 2016. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  17. ^ "UFC 198: Werdum vs. Miocic post-fight results and analysis". May 15, 2016. Retrieved December 12, 2016.
  18. ^ Staff (2016-10-14). "UFC Fight Night 102 gets eight new fights". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2016-10-14.
  19. ^ UFC press release (2016-11-14). "UFC statement on Zubaira Tukhugov". ufc.com. Retrieved 2016-11-14.
  20. ^ "UFC's Ruslan Magomedov and Zubaira Tukhugov accept two-year USADA suspensions". MMAjunkie. 2018-02-15. Retrieved 2018-02-16.
  21. ^ DNA, MMA (2018-08-18). "Lang verwacht gevecht Zubaira Tukhugov vs. Artem Lobov tijdens UFC Moncton". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2018-08-20.
  22. ^ Staff (2018-10-07). "Zubaira Tukhugov speaks out after slapping Conor McGregor 'as promised'". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2018-10-08.
  23. ^ DNA, MMA (18 August 2019). "Zubaira Tukhugov treft ongeslagen debutant Lerone Murphy tijdens UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi". Retrieved 2019-08-19.
  24. ^ Anderson, Jay (2019-09-07). "UFC 242 Results: Zubaira Tukhugov Returns from Suspension, Battles Lerone Murphy to Draw". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2019-09-07.
  25. ^ DNA, MMA (22 December 2019). "Zubaira Tukhugov vs. Kevin Aguilar toegevoegd aan UFC Auckland". Retrieved 2019-12-23.
  26. ^ Evanoff, Josh (2020-02-22). "UFC Auckland Results: Zubaira Tukhugov Earns First Win Since 2015". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-02-23.
  27. ^ DNA, MMA (2020-07-15). "Hakeem Dawodu vs. Zubaira Tukhugov toegevoegd aan UFC 253 op 19 september". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2020-07-16.
  28. ^ Staff (2020-09-25). "UFC 253 weigh-in results: All title fighters hit marks, but two come in heavy on 'Fight Island'". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-09-25.
  29. ^ Fuentes, Jon (2020-09-26). "UFC 253 Results: Hakeem Dawodu Edges Zubaira Tukhugov After Slugfest". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2020-09-27.
  30. ^ DNA, MMA (2021-01-17). "Zubaira Tukhugov treft Ricardo Ramos op 13 maart". MMA DNA. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  31. ^ Staff (2021-03-04). "'Carcacinha' is without an opponent and his participation in UFC Vegas 21 is threatened". espn.com.br. Retrieved 2021-03-06. (in Portuguese)
  32. ^ Guilherme Cruz (2021-03-09). "With no opponent available, Ricardo Ramos pulled from UFC Vegas 21". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  33. ^ Farah Hannoun and John Morgan (2020-08-13). "Zubaira Tukhugov meets Ricardo Ramos at UFC 267". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2020-08-13.
  34. ^ Evanoff, Josh (2021-10-30). "UFC 267 Results: Zubaira Tukhugov Beats Ricardo Ramos In Firefight". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2021-10-30.
  35. ^ Alex Behunin (2022-07-13). "Nate Landwehr vs. Zubaira Tukhugov Added To August 6 UFC Event". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-07-24.
  36. ^ Jay Anderson (2022-06-21). "David Onama Replaces Zubaira Tukhugov Against Nate Landwehr, Fight Moves to UFC San Diego". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-07-24.
  37. ^ "UFC 280 weigh-in results: Title fights official, but one fighter misses weight". MMA Junkie. 2022-10-21. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
  38. ^ Álvaro G. Colmenero (2022-12-13). "Joel Álvarez peleará contra Zubaira Tukhugov en el UFC 284 de Australia". abc.es. Retrieved 2022-12-13. (in Spanish)
  39. ^ Arshad (2023-01-14). "Elves Brenner Replaced J Alvarez against Zubaira Tukhugov at UFC 284". www.itnwwe.com. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
  40. ^ Staff (2023-02-10). "UFC 284 weigh-in results: Both title fights set to lead pay-per-view, but two fighters heavy". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  41. ^ Shawn Bitter (2023-02-11). "UFC 284: Elves Brenner upsets Zubaira Tukhugov in debut". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-02-11.
  42. ^ Shelton, Cole (2023-03-01). "Three fighters removed from the UFC active roster including Darren Till | BJPenn.com". | BJPenn.com. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
  43. ^ "Khabib's cousin Abubakar Nurmagomedov shows damage inflicted on him by Conor McGregor". JOE. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  44. ^ "Dana White's Warning Message To Khabib Nurmagomedov After UFC 229 Match". 2018-10-07. Retrieved 2018-10-08.
  45. ^ Васильев, Руслан. "На Макгрегора напали после боя. Кто эти люди?". sport.business-gazeta.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  46. ^ Jesse Holland (2019-01-29). "Khabib Nurmagomedov suspended nine months, fined $500k for UFC 229 brawl in Las Vegas". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2019-01-29.
  47. ^ "NSAC reduces brawl ban for Khabib's teammates". ESPN.com. 2019-05-22. Retrieved 2019-05-23.
  48. ^ Sherdog.com. "Zubaira". Sherdog. Retrieved 2019-09-07.

External links edit