Umar Nurmagomedov books long-awaited return against UFC newcomer at March 2 event

Umar Nurmagomedov is back, but he’ll be facing a UFC newcomer in his return.

The undefeated bantamweight, who many believe will follow in his cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s footsteps and become a UFC champion, didn’t have any luck securing another top-15 opponent, so 17-1 pro Bekzat Almakhan answered the call for the upcoming UFC Fight Night card scheduled on March 2 at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas.

Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed the news to MMA Fighting on Saturday following an initial report from Frontkicked.

The matchup comes together after Nurmagomedov was last scheduled to clash with Cory Sandhagen in a main event fight at UFC Nashville this past August, however the Dagestani native suffered a shoulder injury that prevented him from competing. Despite attempts to find a fight for Nurmagomedov in the rankings, he didn’t land a well-known opponent, with his manager Ali Abdelaziz commenting on Twitter that it’s been harder to find him competition than it was for his cousin Khabib, Kamaru Usman, or even Islam Makhachev.

Nurmagomedov currently sports a perfect 4-0 record in the UFC, including three finishes by knockout or submission.

With limited options available, 26-year-old Kazakhstan native Almakhan is set to make his debut against one of the top bantamweight prospects in the world.

Almakhan has primarily fought out of his home country and is currently riding a nine-fight win streak with seven finishes along the way.

Nurmagomedov vs. Almakhan joins a growing card on March 2, with heavyweights Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Shamil Gaziev set to headline the event in Las Vegas.