The 5 feet 10 inches tall fighter Damir Ismagulov has been fighting out of Orenburg, Russia. He competes in the Lightweight division for the UFC and he is the former M-1 Global lightweight champion. In March 2023, the UFC lightweight rankings placed him as the No.12 not long after he announced his career would be cut short due to health challenges.
Before starting his career as an MMA fighter, Damir played football and participated in track and field athletics. Even as a student, he participated in both universal combat and army hand-to-hand combat. That earned him the Master of Sports in mixed martial arts in 2014.
Here are 7 Facts About Damir Ismagulov
1. Background and early life of Damir Ismagulov
Damir Ismagulov was born on May 3, 1991, in Orenburgskaya Oblast, Russia. While he has kept details about his background private, it seems he grew up in a close-knitted family in Orenburg.
2. He participated in several sports
During his formative years, Damir Ismagulov played football and also took part in track and field athletics. He also enjoyed horseback riding. Even when he moved to Orenburg, he enrolled in the Institute for Physical Culture and Sports Pedagogical University.
As a student, he engaged in various types of martial arts.
3. He started his professional career in 2014
As an amateur, Damir became a master of sports in universal combat and in army hand-to-hand combat. With that, he was able to win the Russian Cup in 2014 and he was awarded the title of Master of Sports in mixed martial arts.
He made his professional debut in 2014 fighting for the Kazakhstan Mixed Martial Arts Federation. His first fight was against David Bacckai, whom he defeated via technical knockout in the first round of the match.
He had his first defeat after he suffered a unanimous decision loss at the hands of Ramazan Esenbaev.
Before he signed a contract with the UFC, he was M-1 Global lightweight champion. He made his debut in the UFC in December 2018 in a fight against Alex Gorgees.
In the last eight years of his career, Damir has made a name for himself defeating opponents such as Rafael Alves, Thiago Moises, and Guram Kutateladze.
So far, the Russian MMA fighter is credited with having 24 wins in his career. 12 came via knockout, one via submission, and six via first-round finishes. He has only lost twice since he turned professional in 2014.
4. He was forced to retire due to health issues
Damir shocked the world of sports when he announced his retirement from combat sports on January 2, 2023. The ufc lightweight contender’s announcement came shortly after his first-ever loss in UFC.
He made this known in an Instagram post where he said health issues have forced him to retire from professional competition. However, he did not categorically state what was wrong with him instead, he thanked his supporters.
Later on January 29, 2023, the fighter revealed that in his contract with the UFC, he had one more fight left so he decided to fight Grant Dawson on July 1, 2023.
At the time of the announcement, Ismagulov was ranked No. 12 in the UFC lightweight rankings.
5. Damir Ismagulov’s height
The former M-1 Global lightweight champion stands 5 ft 10 inches. He weighs about 155lb (70kg) and fights in the Lightweight division. His reach is 70 inches (178 cm).
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6. His salary and net worth
As a UFC fighter, Money MMA reports that Damir Ismagulov earns about $94, 500. According to this, the highest-paid UFC fighter is Israel Adesanya while the lowest is Rose Namajunas at the moment. However, the fighters also make money from pay-per-view bonuses.
There are speculations that Damir has accumulated about $1 million to $3 million as his net worth.
7. Damir’s championships and accomplishments
The 34-year-old MMA fighter has won the following championships:
- M-1 Global Lightweight Championship
- 2017 M-1 Global Fighter of the Year
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