Damir Ismagulov Announces Plans to Return to The UFC
Damir Ismagulov (photo via M-1 Challenge)
By FCF Staff
Damir Ismagulov likely surprised many throughout the MMA earlier this year, when he announced he was retiring. But, it looks like the accomplished lightweight will compete for the UFC at least one more time.
At the beginning of 2023, the 31-year-old Ismagulov announced he was retiring from MMA. But, more recently Ismagulov shared out the comments below via Instagram (translation via MMA Junkie).
“Recently, (my manager) informed me that I have one more fight left under my contract with @ufc,” Ismagulov wrote Sunday, in Russian. “There were many offers from other leagues where fees were way higher and you could go in there and make money, but I came to @ufc not for the money but for the legacy, to prove to myself that I can compete against the strongest fighters! I finished my career, but after finding out I had another fight under my contract, I decided to go back and finish it! We accept to repay our debts! In the ultimate fight I lost to (Arman Tsarukyan) who is one of the strongest lightweight fighters in @ufc his fight is really on a good level! I would have let go of this moment if I knew I did everything I could and still lost. I think we can show the fight a lot better, more spectacular than 5 rounds or 3 doesn’t matter! We promised the fans to finish our fight early! @danawhite @sayatus @seanshelby revenge for us. Let’s hold the last battle with fireworks.”
Ismagulov (24-2) dropped a decision loss to Tsarukyan in December, which marked the first time he had been defeated since 2015. Ismagulov had won his first five UFC fights before facing Tsarukyan.
