UFC on ESPN+ 21 rookie report: Grading the newcomers in Moscow

Fighters from around the globe dream of the day they’ll step into the UFC octagon for the first time. For three athletes, Saturday’s UFC on ESPN+ 21 event marked that special moment in their career.

Check out this week’s rookie report to see what kind of first impression those fighters made on the sport’s biggest stage from CSKA Arena in Moscow.

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Abubakar Nurmagomedov

Division: Welterweight
Result: David Zawada def. Abubakar Nurmagomedov via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 2:50
Record: (15-3-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC)
Grade: C+

Walking to the cage with Khabib Nurmagomedov in your corner – and while sharing his last name – brings a certain level of expectations. Abubakar Nurmagomedov is used to that by now, but doing that in your UFC debut, and in Russia, no less, had to have brought the pressure to a different level.

Nurmagomedov looked up to the challenge to start, showing quick, straight punches that found their mark early and beautiful timing on a level change to bring the fight to the floor. Those skills will certainly serve him well moving forward.

However, once on the ground, Nurmagomedov struggled, controlling only briefly from the top before he found himself trapped in an armbar. Nurmagomedov did respond well in terms of keeping his arm at a safe angle, but he wasn’t able to counter by either removing his arm from the hold or getting his other arm inside. Hence, he was forced to tap to a triangle choke at the 2:50 mark of the opening round.

Nurmagomedov’s striking actually looks better than that of his UFC champion cousin, and the little bit of wrestling we did see appeared to be up to snuff. But Nurmagomedov has now been submitted in two of his past four outings, which is a real red flag for a fighter who would likely prefer to grapple. Perhaps he can give a better accounting of himself next time, if placed in a less difficult position.