Albert Duraev has made the rounds facing strong contenders in the middleweight division of the UFC. Prior, the 36-year-old combat sports fighter who hails from Russia started his career at the ACB where he won championship titles in the middleweight and welterweight divisions. He has received and given great trashings which have earned him the nickname “Machete” and this is understandable as it comes with the territory.
As it is, some of these fights have led to near-fatal injuries that made the doctor call out a 2022 bout. This daring behavior has added to his popularity, making many curious to find out more about him.
He was Born and Raised in Russia
As you would easily find, Albert Duraev was born on January 4, 1989, in Volgograd, Russia. He grew up alongside a brother named, Jokhar Duraev. When he was 10 years old, Duraen started training in wrestling. Though he later picked up martial arts, wrestling has proven to be one of the skills that many mixed martial artists possess.
Regarding his educational background, Duraev has a law degree from a university in his country.
He has Been Fighting Professionally since 2011
He made his professional debut at the age of 22 in 2011 and since then, he has not turned back as he faces different contenders in the ring. Remarkably, he won his debut match against Magomedsalam via an armbar submission on September 28 of that year. Having secured this victory, there was high hope for the rising star. And true to form, the Machete kept the pace up in the middleweight and felter weight division of the ACB.
Throughout his career, he faced off with fighters like Ali Akhmedov and won 13 fights during his time with the promotion. Also, he held titles in the welterweight and middleweight divisions.
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Albert Duraev Made His UFC Debut in 2021
In the world of mixed martial arts, many combat sports fighters aim to reach the UFC which is considered the biggest MMA promotion in the industry. For Duraev, it took him a decade to reach this career milestone in his faceoff against Caio Bittencourt via submission.
When he was announced as a member of the UFC roster, there were several reactions to this. While some admired him, there were others who attached him to past controversies including his support for the Chechen teenager that beheaded a teacher in France as well as an alleged cruelty he had shown to his cat.
The September 14 2021 match was part of the Dana Whites contender series and was a turning point in his career as it earned him a UFC contract. He fought and won his debut match at UFC 267 on October 30 against Roman Kopylov. Notably, Duraev is said to have fought with a closed eye due to the bruising he experienced. Ever since he joined UFC, he has won two fights and may likely add more to this if he adds other victories to this.
The Russian Fighter Suffered an Eye Injury During a Bout in
Despite an impressive first fight, he lost his second match against Joaquin Buckley due to an eye injury. Apparently, his faceoff with Buckley was a highly anticipated bout but things took a turn for the worse in the second round when Duraev suffered an injury in the left eye.
Subsequently, the doctor called for the end of the bout so things don’t get out of hand. Though this is the second time that Duraev would suffer eye injuries, he
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