Credit: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

UFC bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov plans to shed the key attribute that has made Team Khabib successful.

Former UFC bantamweight title challenger Umar Nurmagomedov suffered one of the most surprising losses by any fighter this year at UFC Shanghai. For the first time in his promising career, Nurmagomedov was knocked out by Song Yadong in a significant setback to his title pursuit.

It was a stunning result for Nurmagomedov, who bounced back with recent wins over Mario Bautista and Deiveson Figueiredo after a bantamweight title loss to Merab Dvalishvili. Umar, the cousin of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov, remains one of the most intriguing contenders in the stacked bantamweight division.

Nurmagomedov comes from a strong Dagestani wrestling background, although his striking is far more advanced than some of his teammates. As Nurmagomedov looks to bounce back from a brutal setback, he’s making a significant change to his training regimen and focus.

Umar Nurmagomedov says ‘no more wrestling’ in response to brutal KO

In a recent interview with Submission Radio, Nurmagomedov’s longtime manager, Ali Abdelaziz, revealed the bantamweight’s new mindset following UFC Shanghai.

“2027 will be the biggest year of Umar Nurmagomedov’s career. He called me the other day and he was like ‘I’m not a wrestler; I’m not going to wrestle again. I’m going to knock everybody out and I’m going to make sure I make it look easy,” Abdelaziz said of Nurmagomedov.

“From the bottom of his heart – and I felt his vibration when he said that to me. I don’t love anyone more than I love Umar. He’s one of the kindest, nicest human beings on the planet. And also, one of the baddest dudes on the planet, and I truly believe that Umar will come back with vengeance.”

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