Shamil Abdurakhimov
#126,800 Most Popular
About
Mixed martial artist and former competitor for the Ultimate Fighting Championship who had a successful career fighting in the heavyweight division. He was signed to the UFC in January 2015, and after making his debut just a few months later, he quickly accumulated wins against opponents such as Anthony Hamilton, Walt Harris, and Andrei Arlovski. His time on the UFC roster officially came to an end in January 2023.
Before Fame
He commenced his training by studying the martial arts of Sanshou, boxing, and freestyle wrestling while he attended secondary school. He made his professional MMA career debut in the 2010 Abu Dhabi Fighting Championship, where he emerged victorious over opponent Jeff Monson.
Trivia
He is a 5-time Russian National Champion with the Russian Sanshou Federation. In MMA, he earned the Abu Dhabi Fighting Championship title of World Heavyweight Champion in 2011.
Family Life
He comes from a Sunni Muslim family of Avar descent. He was born in Russia.
Associated With
Some of his additional opponents throughout his UFC career included Derrick Lewis, Curtis Blaydes, and Ciryl Gane.