Khasan Magomedsharipov, younger brother of top UFC featherweight Zabit Magomedsharipov, is set for his Bellator debut.
Magomedsharipov (5-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will face Nekruz Mirkhojaev (5-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) in a featherweight bout at Bellator 263, which takes place July 31 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif.
A Bellator official confirmed the matchup with MMA Junkie after an initial report from Instagram user @tajikistan_mma1.
Unbeaten 20-year-old Magomedsharipov has competed for Fight Nights Global, Gorilla Fighting Championship and most recently AMC Fight Nights Global, where he picked up a first-round TKO over Mikhail Tarkhanov in December. Training under Mark Henry in Tom’s River, N.J., alongside his brother, Magomedsharipov has finished four of his five pro wins.
Mirkhojaev will return to the Bellator cage after splitting two appearances with the promotion. Winner of three of his past four, Mirkhojaev hasn’t competed since submitting Harun Yakhyaev in the second round in August 2019.
The latest Bellator 263 lineup now includes:
- Champion Patricio Freire vs. A.J. McKee – for featherweight title
- Kiefer Crosbie vs. Georgi Karakhanyan
- Magomed Magomedov vs. Raufeon Stots
- Mads Burnell vs. Emmanuel Sanchez
- Manny Muro vs. Usman Nurmagomedov
- DeAnna Bennett vs. Alejandra Lara
- Brian Moore vs. Jared Scoggins
- Chris Gonzalez vs. Goiti Yamauchi
- Johnny Cisneros vs. Joshua Jones
- Khasan Magomedsharipov vs. Nekruz Mirkhojaev
Zabit’s brother, Khasan Magomedsharipov, to make Bellator debut July 31