Movlid Khaybulaev (born October 16, 1990) is a Russian

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorp ...

currently fighting in the

Featherweight Featherweight is a weight class in the combat sports of boxing, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Boxing Professional boxing History A featherweight boxer weighs in at a limit of . In the early days of the division, this ...

division of the

Professional Fighters League The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promot ...

(PFL). A professional competitor since 2011, he has also competed in

Fight Nights Global AMC Fight Nights (or Fight Nights Global before 2021) is a Russian mixed martial arts organization that previously hosted K-1 and other martial arts events. It is one of the largest promotion companies in the world and features some of the top-ra ...

and

ONE Championship ONE Championship (formerly ONE Fighting Championship) is a Singaporean combat sports promotion. Founded on 14 July 2011 by entrepreneur Chatri Sityodtong and former ESPN Star Sports senior executive Victor Cui, its events have featured mixed ...

Personal life

Khaybulaev was born in the

Republic of Dagestan Dagestan ( ; rus, Дагеста́н, , dəɡʲɪˈstan, links=yes), officially the Republic of Dagestan (russian: Респу́блика Дагеста́н, Respúblika Dagestán, links=no), is a republics of Russia, republic of Russia sit ...

, a republic of

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

situated in the

North Caucasus The North Caucasus, ( ady, Темыр Къафкъас, Temır Qafqas; kbd, Ишхъэрэ Къаукъаз, İṩxhərə Qauqaz; ce, Къилбаседа Кавказ, Q̇ilbaseda Kavkaz; , os, Цӕгат Кавказ, Cægat Kavkaz, inh, ...

region, along the

Caspian Sea The Caspian Sea is the world's largest inland body of water, often described as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea. An endorheic basin, it lies between Europe and Asia; east of the Caucasus, west of the broad steppe of Central Asia ...

. Khaybulaev trains with former

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

Lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight boxe ...

champion

Khabib Nurmagomedov Khabib Abdulmanapovich Nurmagomedov av, ХIабиб ГӀабдулманапил НурмухӀамадов (born 20 September 1988) is a Russian former professional mixed martial artist. He competed in the lightweight division of the Ultima ...

. Khaybulaev credits Nurmagomedov, as well as Nurmagomedov's father, Dagestan legend Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, who passed away due to

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

complications in 2020, with inspiring him to compete in mixed martial arts. Movlid was born in Dagestan, and like most of his peers, he combined his studies at school with training. He started with freestyle wrestling, but later the attention of the teenager was attracted by combat sambo - in both disciplines the guy achieved serious success. At the age of 16, the athlete became the champion of the Southern Federal District in wrestling, and a year later, he secured the result at the Russian Championship. After, Khaibulaev entered the branch of the Law Academy under the Ministry of Justice of Russia, located in Makhachkala, and in parallel with his studies, continued to win new awards. In 2009, again in the Southern Federal District, he took first place in the combat sambo championship, and after that he switched to mixed martial arts, and a new hobby opened up great horizons for him.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

In the same year, 2009, Movlid took part in the Dagestan Mixed Fight Championship and, having won another big victory, met Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov. Training under his supervision made it possible to expand the arsenal of techniques used, thanks to which, two years later, the fighter made his debut in the professional ring. His first fight took place under the banners of ProFC, and in the fight, which took place in the format of 2 rounds of 5 minutes, the newcomer defeated Rustam Akhmarov. In December of the same year, "Killer" was sent to the MMA World Championship in Antalya, and he, being a 3rd year student, became a gold medalist there. After that, Khaibulaev got another victory among the pros and got the opportunity to fight in the Fight Nights league. The next three bouts took place there, moreover, successfully, and with short forays into other organizations, the Dagestani built a career in this promotion. By 2017, Movlid had 11 victories in a row and did not know the bitterness of defeat. After a quick finish in a fight with Paata Robakidze, his representatives came to the management of

One Championship ONE Championship (formerly ONE Fighting Championship) is a Singaporean combat sports promotion. Founded on 14 July 2011 by entrepreneur Chatri Sityodtong and former ESPN Star Sports senior executive Victor Cui, its events have featured mixed ...

, and organized a fight for him in Malaysia against

Herbert Burns Herbert Burns (born February 2, 1988) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is the younger brother of fellow UFC fighter, Gilbert Burns. Background Burns w ...

, who later signed a contract with the

. Despite the high-class BJJ of the Brazilian, the Russian easily translated him and did not let him breathe, due to which he won the match. Then he returned to his homeland, fought for the last time in Fight Nights, defeating Ilya Kurzanov, and with such baggage, he signed a long-term contract with the PFL, becoming one of the featherweights of the Western organization.

Professional Fighters League

2019 Season

During his May 2019 PFL debut at PFL 2 against

Damon Jackson Damon Blake Jackson (born August 8, 1988) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Featherweight Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional since 2012, Jackson competed for Bellator MMA and King of the Cag ...

, he landed a

flying knee A knee strike (commonly referred to simply as a knee) is a strike with the knee, either with the kneecap or the surrounding area. Kneeing is a disallowed practice in many combat sports, especially to the head of a downed opponent. Styles such as ...

strike which knocked out Jackson and ended the fight in 10 seconds. He continued his streak of wins (13-0-1) until his second fight with PFL at PFL 5, which ended in a

majority draw A majority draw is an outcome in several full-contact combat sports, including boxing, mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referre ...

against Andre Harrison. During the 2019 Playoffs at PFL 8, Khaybulaev was knocked out by Daniel Pineda in 29 seconds of the first round. The result was later overturned to

no contest ' is a legal term that comes from the Latin phrase for "I do not wish to contend". It is also referred to as a plea of no contest or no defense. In criminal trials in certain United States jurisdictions, it is a plea where the defendant neith ...

after the

Nevada State Athletic Commission The Nevada State Athletic Commission (also known as the Nevada Athletic Commission or NSAC) regulates all contests and exhibitions of unarmed combat within the state of Nevada, including licensure and supervision of promoters, boxers, kickboxers, ...

suspended Pineda and fined him $12,500 after finding elevated

testosterone Testosterone is the primary sex hormone and anabolic steroid in males. In humans, testosterone plays a key role in the development of Male reproductive system, male reproductive tissues such as testes and prostate, as well as promoting secondar ...

levels from his bout with Khaybulaev on October 17, 2019. After the 2020 PFL season was cancelled due to COVID, Movlid competed at UAE Warriors 14 on November 27, 2020 against Zaka Fatullazade, submitting him in the first round with a rear-naked choke.

2021 Season

In 2021, Movlid competed in his second PFL season. At PFL 1 (2021), he beat Lazar Stojadinovic to secure three points in the regular season. On June 25, 2021 at PFL 6, Khaybulaev beat 2019 featherweight champion

Lance Palmer Lance Palmer (born February 7, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist and former collegiate wrestler. He currently competes in the featherweight division of Professional Fighters League, where he is the 2019's tournament champi ...

to secure three more points, bringing his season point total to six, thus securing him as the fourth seed in the featherweight bracket. On August 13, 2021 Movlid fought number one seed

Brendan Loughnane Brendan Loughnane (born December 5, 1989) is a British professional mixed martial artist. He competes in the Featherweight division of the Professional Fighters League (PFL). Loughnane has been a professional competitor since 2010, and competed i ...

in the 2021 PFL Playoffs at PFL 9 on August 27, 2021, edging out Loughnane with a split decision victory to clinch a spot in the 2021 PFL World Championships. On October 27, 2021 at PFL 10, Movlid faced off against Chris Wade for the 2021 PFL featherweight world title. Khaybulaev outperformed Wade for 5 rounds and won via unanimous decision to win the PFL Featherweight title and earned a $1 million collective prize. In March 2022, PFL announced on

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

that Khaybulaev was injured and would not be defending his crown in the 2022 season. Loughnane, who lost the 2021 championship to Khaybulaev, lamented his inability to have a rematch with the champion, but admitted he was relieved not to have to fight Khaybulaev again.

2023 Season

Movlid started off the 2023 season against Ryoji Kudo on April 1, 2023 at PFL 1. He won the bout via unanimous decision.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

** 2021 PFL Featherweight Championship

Mixed martial arts record

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Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

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Hollywood, Florida Hollywood is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States, located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. As of July 1, 2019, Hollywood had a population of 154,817. Founded in 1925, the city grew rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s, and is now ...

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Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 16–0–1 (1) , Lazar Stojadinovic , Decision (unanimous) , PFL 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

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Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...

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Uniondale, New York Uniondale is a census-designated place (CDP), as well as a suburb in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, New York (state), New York, on Long Island, in the Town of Hempstead, New York, Town of Hempstead. The population was 32,473 at the 2020 ...

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Surgut Surgut ( rus, Сургу́т, p=sʊrˈgut; Khanty: Сәрханӆ, ''Sərhanł'') is a city in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Russia, located on the Ob River near its junction with the Irtysh River. It is one of the few cities in Russia to be lar ...

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Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

, Malaysia , , - , Win , align=center, 11–0 , Paata Robakidze , Submission (guillotine choke) , Fight Nights Global 53: Day 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:13 ,

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

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, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 , Vladimir Egoyan , TKO (flying knee) , Fight Nights Global 41 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:04 ,

Makhachkala Makhachkala ( rus, Махачкала, , məxətɕkɐˈla, links=yes),; av, Махӏачхъала, Maħaçqala; ce, ХӀинжа-ГӀала, Hinƶa-Ġala; az, Маһачгала, Mahaçqala; nog, Махачкала; lbe, Махачкъала; ...

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Astrakhan Astrakhan ( rus, Астрахань, p=ˈastrəxənʲ) is the largest city and administrative centre of Astrakhan Oblast in Southern Russia. The city lies on two banks of the Volga, in the upper part of the Volga Delta, on eleven islands of the ...

, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Dmitriy Korobeynikov , TKO (punches) , Fight Nights Global 33 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:13 ,

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, Russia , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Rustam Akhmarov , Decision (unanimous) , ProFC 36 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Khasavyurt Khasavyurt (russian: Хасавю́рт; av, Хасаюрт; ce, Хаси-Эвл, ''Xasi-Evl''; kum, Хасав-ю́рт, ''Xasav-yurt'') is a city in the Republic of Dagestan, Russia. Population: History It was founded in 1846 and granted ...

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References

External links

* Living people 1990 births Russian male mixed martial artists Featherweight mixed martial artists PFL male fighters {{WSOF Title Holders