Rustam Khabilov (born 4 November 1986) is a Russian

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

, currently competing in the

Lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxe ...

division of

Bellator MMA Bellator MMA (formerly Bellator Fighting Championships) is an American mixed martial arts promotion founded in 2008 and based in Santa Monica, California, owned and operated as a subsidiary of television and media conglomerate Paramount Global. ...

. He is a Combat Sambo World Champion and a former member of the Legion Sport Club fight team in

Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don ( rus, Ростов-на-Дону, r=Rostov-na-Donu, p=rɐˈstof nə dɐˈnu) is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the Eas ...

. Prior to signing with Bellator, Khabilov previously fought in the

division of the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC).

Background

Rustam was born in Goksu-otar village in

Dagestan Dagestan ( ; rus, Дагеста́н, , dəɡʲɪˈstan, links=yes), officially the Republic of Dagestan (russian: Респу́блика Дагеста́н, Respúblika Dagestán, links=no), is a republic of Russia situated in the North Ca ...

, in a Kumyk family. He studied at the Makhachkala Automobile College, where his sports career began. He started his training under

Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov Abdulmanap Magomedovich Nurmagomedov (russian: Абдулманап Магомедович Нурмагомедов; 10 December 1962 – 3 July 2020) was a Russian military veteran, former judoka and combat sports coach. In September 2019, he ...

, soon becoming world and Russia champion in fight sambo discipline. Married, has two sons and a daughter.

Mixed martial arts career

ONE Fighting Championship

In January 2012 it was announced that Khabilov had signed with ONE Fighting Championship. He made his debut at ONE Fighting Championship: Battle of Heroes at

The BritAma Arena The BritAma Arena (Indonesian: ''Arena BritAma''), also known as Kelapa Gading Sports Mall or Mahaka Square, is an indoor sporting arena located in the affluent Kelapa Gading subdistrict in North Jakarta, Indonesia. The arena plays host to th ...

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital city, capital and list of Indonesian cities by population, largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coa ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...

on 11 February 2012 against

BJJ Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting ( ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

World Champion Rodrigo Ribeiro. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Khabilov signed a four-fight deal with the UFC in July 2012. In his debut, Khabilov faced

Vinc Pichel Vincent Alan Pichel (born November 23, 1982) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2009, Pichel was also a contest ...

on 15 December 2012 at The Ultimate Fighter: Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson Finale. He won the fight in the first round by hurting Pincel with a suplex and finishing him off with punches on the ground. For his second fight in the organization, Khabilov faced UFC newcomer and Strikeforce veteran

Yancy Medeiros Yancy Medeiros Jr. (born September 7, 1987) is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division of Bellator MMA. A professional competitor since 2007, he has competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Strikefor ...

at UFC 159 on 27 April 2013. The fight ended in unusual fashion as Medeiros dislocated his thumb during a takedown by Khabilov early in the first round, resulting in a TKO victory for Khabilov as Medeiros was unable to continue. For his third UFC fight, Khabilov faced

Jorge Masvidal Jorge Masvidal (born November 12, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Masvidal has been competing professionally since 2003; h ...

on 6 November 2013 at UFC: Fight for the Troops 3. He won the back-and-forth bout via unanimous decision. The fight also garnered Khabilov his first ''Fight of the Night'' bonus award. Khabilov was expected to face

Rafael dos Anjos Rafael Souza dos Anjos (; born October 26, 1984) is a Brazilian American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight and Lightweight divisions in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is a former UFC Lig ...

on 22 February 2014 at UFC 170. However, the bout was cancelled in the weeks leading up to the event due to an injury suffered by Khabilov. Khabilov faced

Benson Henderson Benson Henderson (born November 16, 1983) is an American mixed martial artist who competes for Bellator MMA, currently competing in their Lightweight division. He is a former UFC Lightweight Champion and WEC Lightweight Champion. As of November ...

on 7 June 2014 in the main event at UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Khabilov. He lost the fight via rear-naked choke submission in the fourth round. Khabilov was expected to face

Danny Castillo Daniel Alfonso Castillo (born August 25, 1979) is a retired American mixed martial artist. A professional from 2007 until 2015, he competed in 22 bouts with both the UFC and WEC. Mixed martial arts career Early career Castillo began training M ...

on 3 January 2015 at UFC 182. However, Khabilov pulled out of the bout due to alleged visa issues. Khabilov faced

Adriano Martins Adriano Soares Martins (born June 12, 1982) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division of Taura MMA. A professional competitor since 2004, he has competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Strike ...

on 22 February 2015 at UFC Fight Night 61. He lost the fight via split decision. A rescheduled bout with

was expected to take place on 25 July 2015 at UFC on Fox 16. However, for a second time, Khabilov was removed from the pairing due to alleged visa issues. Castillo faced Jim Miller at the event. Khabilov faced Norman Parke on 27 February 2016 at

UFC Fight Night 84 ''UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Bisping'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 84'') was a mixed martial arts event held on 27 February 2016 at The O2 Arena in London, England. Background The event was the eighth that the promotion hosted in London ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Khabilov was tabbed as an injury replacement for Rashid Magomedov to face Chris Wade on 8 May 2016 at UFC Fight Night 87. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Khabilov was expected to face

Reza Madadi Reza Madadi (, (born June 20, 1978) is a retired Iranian-born Swedish mixed martial artist who competed in the lightweight division. A professional mixed martial artist from 2006 to 2019, Madadi is best known for competing in the Ultimate Fightin ...

on 3 September 2016 at UFC Fight Night 93. However, on 25 July, Madadi pulled out due to undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Leandro Silva. Khabilov won the fight via unanimous decision. Khabilov next faced Jason Saggo on 10 December 2016 at UFC 206. He won the one-sided fight via unanimous decision. Khabilov faced

Desmond Green Desmond Green (born October 11, 1989) is an American mixed martial artist who competed in the lightweight division for Ultimate Fighting Championship. Green is the current BYB Extreme Bare Knuckle Middleweight and Police Gazette Diamond Belt c ...

on 2 September 2017 at

UFC Fight Night 115 ''UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Struve'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 115'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on September 2, 2017 at Rotterdam Ahoy in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Background A heavy ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Khabilov was supposed to face Kajan Johnson on 17 March 2018 at

UFC Fight Night 127 ''UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Volkov'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 127'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on March 17, 2018, at The O2 Arena in London, England. Background A heav ...

. However, Khabilov pulled out due to injury and was replaced by Stevie Ray. The bout with Johnson was rescheduled and eventually took place on 15 September 2018 at

UFC Fight Night 136 ''UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Oleinik'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 136'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on September 15, 2018 at Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Moscow, Russia. Background The ev ...

. Khabilov won the back-and-forth fight by split decision. Khabilov faced

Carlos Diego Ferreira Carlos Diego Ferreira (born January 18, 1985) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist, currently competing in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the former Legacy FC lightweight champion, and vacated the ...

on 23 February 2019 at

UFC Fight Night 145 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. He lost the fight by unanimous decision. Khabilov faced

Sergey Khandozhko Sergey Khandozhko (born May 19, 1992) is a retired Russian male mixed martial artist who competed in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Background While in the first grade, his parents signed Sergey to the sambo/ju ...

in a welterweight bout on 9 November 2019 at

UFC Fight Night 163 UFC Fight Night: Magomedsharipov vs. Kattar (also known as UFC Fight Night: Zabit vs. Kattar, UFC Fight Night 163 and UFC on ESPN+ 21) was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on November 9, 2 ...

. He won the fight via unanimous decision and became a free agent after the fight.

Bellator MMA

On 2 October 2020, it was reported that Khabilov had signed a multi-fight deal with

. Rustam was expected to make his Bellator debut against Andrey Koreshkov on 23 October 2021 at

Bellator 269 ''Bellator 269: Fedor vs. Johnson'' (also known as ''Bellator Moscow'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA that took place on October 23, 2021 at VTB Arena in Moscow, Russia. Background On the second last bout of his cont ...

. However the bout was scrapped after Khabilov came down with a sickness. Khabilov was scheduled make his Bellator debut against Lewis Long on September 23, 2022, at

Bellator 285 ''Bellator 285: Henderson vs. Queally'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by Bellator MMA, that took place on 23 September 2022 at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. Background Bellator returned to Dublin for the second time in 2022, featu ...

. However, Long pulled out of the bout and a replacement opponent was not found.

Personal life

Rustam has a wife and is a devout

Sunni Muslim Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagre ...

. He trained under Khabib Nurmagomedov's father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov (''sambo/MMA''), Anvar Magomedgadzhiev,

Abdusalam Gadisov Abdusalam Mamatkhanovich Gadisov (born 26 March 1989) is a Russian freestyle wrestler. He competed in the freestyle 96 kg event at the 2012 Summer Olympics; after defeating Taimuraz Tigiyev in the qualification round, he was eliminated by Rez ...

and

Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov Akhmed (Ahmad) Shiybudinovich Gadzhimagomedov (russian: Ахмед Шиябудинович Гаджимагомедов; born 21 April 1990 in Dagestan) is a Russian freestyle wrestler. World bronze medalist 2018. He won bronze at the 2017 Eur ...

(''wrestling''), Mike Winkeljohn (''boxing''), Greg Jackson (''MMA'').

Championships and accomplishments

Sambo

*World Combat Sambo Federation (WCSF) **Combat Sambo World Lightweight Champion (2007). *Federation International Amateur de Sambo **Combat Sambo Russian National Middleweight Champion. **Combat Sambo Republic of Dagestan Middleweight Champion (4 Time).

Pankration Pankration (; el, παγκράτιον) was a sporting event introduced into the Greek Olympic Games in 648 BC, which was an empty-hand submission sport with few rules. The athletes used boxing and wrestling techniques but also others, suc ...

*Russian Pankration Federation **Pankration Middleweight World Champion **Moscow Middleweight Pankration Open 2010

Combat Jiu Jitsu

*Combat Jiu Jitsu Kyiv Cup Light-Heavyweight Champion

Mixed martial arts

* M-1 Global ** M-1 Challenge 2009 Championship. *

** Fight of the Night (One time) * SporTV.com **2012 Knockout of the year (2nd) vs. Vinc Pichel on 15 December 2012. * UFC Ultimate Insider **UFC Debuts of All-Time (8th) vs. Vinc Pichel on 15 December 2012. * MMAJunkie.com **2018 Robbery of the Year vs. Kajan Johnson

Mixed martial arts record

, Win , align=center, 24–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Magomedsharipov vs. Kattar , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 23–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Błachowicz vs. Santos , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

, Czech Republic , , - , Win , align=center, 23–3 , Kajan Johnson , Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs. Oleinik , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 22–3 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Struve , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte (river), Rotte'') is the second largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the Prov ...

, Netherlands , , - , Win , align=center, 21–3 , Jason Saggo , Decision (unanimous) , UFC 206 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada , , - , Win , align=center, 20–3 , Leandro Silva , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Arlovski vs. Barnett , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; nds, label=Hamburg German, Low Saxon, Hamborg ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (german: Freie und Hansestadt Hamburg; nds, label=Low Saxon, Friee un Hansestadt Hamborg),. is the List of cities in Germany by popul ...

, Germany , , - , Win , align=center, 19–3 , Chris Wade , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Arlovski , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Netherlands , , - , Win , align=center, 18–3 , Norman Parke , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Silva vs. Bisping , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–3 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Bigfoot vs. Mir , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Porto Alegre Porto Alegre (, , Brazilian ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of 1,488,252 inhabitants (2020) makes it the twelfth most populous city in the country and the center of Brazil's fif ...

, Brazil , , - , Loss , align=center, 17–2 ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Khabilov , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 1:16 ,

Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding i ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 17–1 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC: Fight for the Troops 3 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Fort Campbell, Kentucky Fort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astride the Kentucky–Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky and Clarksville, Tennessee (post address is located in Kentucky). Fort Campbell is home to the 101st Airborne Divi ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–1 ,

, TKO (thumb injury) , UFC 159 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:32 ,

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–1 ,

, KO (suplex and punches) , The Ultimate Fighter: Team Carwin vs. Team Nelson Finale , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:15 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–1 , Jason Dent , Decision (unanimous) , Pure MMA: Next Episode , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania Wilkes-Barre ( or ) is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Luzerne County. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It is the s ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–1 , Rodrigo Ribeiro , Decision (unanimous) , ONE FC: Battle of Heroes , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Indonesia , , - , Win , align=center, 12–1 , Nazir Kadyzhev , TKO (punches) , ProFC Grand Prix Global: Caucasus , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:58 ,

Derbent Derbent (russian: Дербе́нт; lez, Кьвевар, Цал; az, Дәрбәнд, italic=no, Dərbənd; av, Дербенд; fa, دربند), formerly romanized as Derbend, is a city in Dagestan, Russia, located on the Caspian Sea. It ...

, Russia , , - , Loss , align=center, 11–1 , Ruslan Khaskhanov , Decision (split) , M-1 Selection Ukraine 2010: The Finals , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Ky ...

, Ukraine , , - , Win , align=center, 11–0 , Sergei Utochkin , Submission (armbar) , M-1 Selection Ukraine 2010: Round 6 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:28 ,

, Ukraine , , - , Win , align=center, 10–0 , Gleb Morozov , Submission (armbar) , M-1 Selection Ukraine 2010: Clash of the Titans , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:46 ,

, Ukraine , , - , Win , align=center, 9–0 , Andrei Balakhonov , Submission (armbar) , M-1 Selection Ukraine 2010: Round 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:34 ,

, Ukraine , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 , Said Khalilov , Decision (unanimous) , M-1 Challenge: 2009 Selections 8 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Gasanali Gasanaliev , Decision (split) , M-1 Challenge: 2009 Selections 6 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Makhachkala Makhachkala ( rus, Махачкала, , məxətɕkɐˈla, links=yes),; av, Махӏачхъала, Maħaçqala; ce, ХӀинжа-ГӀала, Hinƶa-Ġala; az, Маһачгала, Mahaçqala; nog, Махачкала; lbe, Махачкъала; ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 6–0 , Akin Duran , KO (slam) , M-1 Challenge 18: Netherlands Day Two , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:28 ,

Hilversum Hilversum () is a city and municipality in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. Located in the heart of the Gooi, it is the largest urban centre in that area. It is surrounded by heathland, woods, meadows, lakes, and smaller towns. Hilver ...

, Netherlands , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 ,

Vener Galiev Vener Zaynullovich Galiev (russian: Венер Зайнуллович Галиев; ba, Ғәлиев Венер Зәйнулла улы) born 1 July 1975) is a Bashkir born-Russian amateur wrestler, sambist and mixed martial artist. He ...

, Decision (split) , M-1 Challenge: 2009 Selections 4 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , St. Petersburg, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Vladimir Papusha , Submission (armbar) , M-1 Challenge: 2009 Selections 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:04 , St. Petersburg, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Hamiz Mamedov , Decision (unanimous) , CSFU: Champions League , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Poltava Poltava (, ; uk, Полтава ) is a city located on the Vorskla River in central Ukraine. It is the capital city of the Poltava Oblast (province) and of the surrounding Poltava Raion (district) of the oblast. Poltava is administrativel ...

, Ukraine , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Karen Grigoryan , Decision (unanimous) , CFF: International MMA Tournament , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Tyumen Tyumen ( ; rus, Тюмень, p=tʲʉˈmʲenʲ, a=Ru-Tyumen.ogg) is the administrative center and largest city of Tyumen Oblast, Russia. It is situated just east of the Ural Mountains, along the Tura River. Fueled by the Russian oil and gas in ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Bagautdin Abasov , Submission (triangle choke) , Tsumada Fighting Championship 1 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:14 , Tsumadinsky, Russia , , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Khabilov, Rustam 1986 births Living people Russian male mixed martial artists Dagestani mixed martial artists Dagestani submission wrestlers Russian sambo practitioners Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing sambo Mixed martial artists utilizing pankration Bellator male fighters Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Sportspeople from Makhachkala Kumyks Russian Muslims