OK, so they're not technically brothers, but who's really counting, right? Plus, "cousins who have lived in the same house since they were young boys" doesn't have quite the same ring to it.
Label it how you wish, but Abubakar and Khabib Nurmagomedov—who are really cousins—think of themselves as siblings. You can hear it as Khabib helps translate questions for Abubakar during a recent interview, and you can sense it as Khabib talks proudly, if a bit nervously, about Abubakar's American MMA debut, happening this Saturday against Jorge Moreno at World Series of Fighting 22.
"We've lived together all our lives," said Khabib Nurmagomedov in an exclusive interview with Bleacher Report. "I was seven years old when he came. Now, he's 25, and I'm 26. We do everything together. We push each other, push ourselves. We help each other. He's a very important guy in my life."
They might be similar in many of the same ways, growing up together in the Dagestan republic of Russia's North Caucasus region, the MMA hotbed that has spawned Rustam Khabilov, Ruslan Magomedov, Omari Akhmedov, Mairbek Taisumov and Zubaira Tukhugov, among others, including the brothers Nurmagomedov.
To hear Abubakar tell it, though, there are fundamental differences in their fighting styles. Khabib, who is 22-0 and the No. 3 fighter in the official UFC lightweight rankings, uses a dominant grappling game, including some of the best takedowns in the sport, to rake in round after round and fight after fight. If a finish comes, so much the better, but winning the fight with minimal damage is the first priority.
That approach contrasts with that of Abubakar (9-1). Khabib has gone the distance on eight occasions. For Abubakar, the number is zero. Abubakar may also have more knockout power or at least more willingness to throw his fists; despite having 11 fewer pro fights than Khabib, Abubakar's seven knockout wins are only one less than his cousin.
"I'm a little different from Khabib's style," Abubakar said through an interpreter. "He's more of a thinking style. I'm more someone who likes to exchange and do brawling. Khabib takes a position and tries to advance it. I expect to finish. He gets on me sometimes because I'm not using the same safe kind of style as him."
At the same time, each fighter's game is based in wrestling and combat sambo, the blended self-defense technique distinct to that part of the world.
Khabib, under the guidance of his father, was the first to try freestyle wrestling, then sambo; Abubakar followed his lead. Though they will always be linked, Khabib said Abubakar is ready to start this chapter, which will be distinctly his own.
"I think he's experienced enough," Khabib said. "It's hard. He can fight for the title. He is 25 years old, but he has a lot of experience in amateur. I think he's ready for tough opponents."
As for Moreno (4-0), an aggressive opponent in his own right, Abubakar sounds ready.
"I've seen his fights on YouTube. He always jumps, always looks for the finish," Abubakar said. "I'm excited about that. I have a message for him: I'm not going to back down."
As the two Nurmagomedovs hunkered down in Las Vegas, doing interviews together and cutting the final few pounds from Abubakar's frame, they prevent themselves from talking too much about topics outside the business at hand. But it's Abubakar's first time in America. Brothers can dream together, too, can't they?
"I can fight all 15 minutes, but I don't want it to go 15 minutes," Abubakar said. "I want to finish him in the first round, and then I want to go to McDonald's. I've never been before. That's where I want to go."
The Beaten Path is Bleacher Report MMA's series on top fighter prospects. For the previous interview in the series, click here. Scott Harris covers MMA prospects and more for Bleacher Report. For more, follow Scott on Twitter. All quotes obtained firsthand.
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