Undefeated Usman Nurmagomedov extended his reign as Bellator Lightweight Champion on Saturday night, going the distance against a hesitant Alexander Shabliy to win on scorecards.
Nurmagomedov’s win headlined Bellator’s first American show in nearly a year, a card from the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California.
Nurmagomedov out-worked Shabliy in a methodical five-round clash, connecting with the stronger shots in a fight that was almost entirely on the feet.
Despite often being the advancing fighter in the bout, Shabliy didn’t unload with as many strikes and wasn’t able to piece together the impactful shots that Nurmagomedov found a home for.
The most notable moment for Nurmagomedov was a slick head kick in the fourth round that visibly rocked Shabliy. Nurmagomedov briefly took control of the title challenger on the ground afterward, trying for a guillotine choke at one point and landing ground and pound shots.
Nurmagomedov gave credit to his opponent after defending his Bellator belt for the second time.
“Alexander Shabliy I think is one of the best lightweights in the world,” Nurmagomedov said in his post-fight interview. “It was a very tough fight for me, he’s a very tough guy.”
The five-round title fight finally ended the long and delayed build to a fight between Nurmagomedov and Shabliy.
The Russian talents were on pace to meet in the finals of an eight-man lightweight grand prix held by Bellator last year. Both Nurmagomedov and Shabliy made it into the finals, however, after a failed drug test overturned Nurmagomedov’s semi-final win and took him out of the tournament, it became clear that they would only be able to meet outside of the bracket.
Bellator remained focused on booking the fight following the promotion’s sale to PFL in late 2023, initially aiming to place the fight on a show in May. An injury to Nurmagomedov delayed the fight once again, landing it on this weekend’s card in San Diego.
Nurmagomedov has held Bellator’s 155-pound belt since late 2022 when he went five rounds to dethrone Patricky Pitbull. He defended the title once last year, submitting veteran Benson Henderson in the first round.
Shabliy had an impressive nine-fight winning streak brought to an end this weekend. Among his wins were five Bellator appearances, getting past names like Brent Primus and Tofiq Musayev in recent years.
Earlier in the night, long-time Bellator talent Lorenz Larkin punched his ticket to a title shot against welterweight champion Ramazan Kuramagomedov by winning a #1 contenders match. Larkin made quick work of Georgia’s Levan Chokheli, scoring a brutal second-minute finish with strikes. Larkin previously attempted to capture Bellator’s 170-pound title back in 2017, losing a bout to Douglas Lima via decision.
Here are the quick results from Bellator’s latest show:
Main Card (8:00PM EDT / 5:00PM PDT) (Max)
Bout 10: Usman Nurmagomedov def. Alexander Shabliy via Decision, Unanimous (Bellator Lightweight Championship)
Bout 9: Lorenz Larkin def. Levan Chokheli via TKO, Strikes (RD 1, 1:53)
Bout 8: Aaron Jeffery def. Douglas Lima via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 7: Sumiko Inaba def. Mackenzie Stiller via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 4:25)
Bout 6: Jora Ayvazyan def. Yancy Medeiros via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 5: Jordan Newman def. Imamshafi Aliev via Decision, Unanimous
Bout 4: Masayuki Kikuiri def. Herman Terrado via TKO, Strikes (RD 3, 2:54)
Bout 3: Bryce Meredith def. John MaCalolooy via Submission, Rear Naked Choke (RD 1, 3:18)
Bout 2: Josh Hokit def. Sean Rose via Submission, Armbar (RD 1, 4:58)
Bout 1: Ashley Thiner def. Aysia Cortez via TKO, Strikes (RD 2, 3:11)
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