Gadzhimurad Antigulov

Gadzhimurad Antigulov (born January 1, 1987) is a Russian mixed martial artist who currently competing in the Light Heavyweight division. A professional since 2009, he has fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), M-1 Global, and Absolute Championship Berkut, where he was a two-time light heavyweight champion.

Background
As wrestling is the national sport in Dagestan, Antigulov started training wrestling at the young age and  transitioned to MMA when the sport was introduced to his country.

He splits his training into two sessions per day. He starts with a run and then focuses on striking skills and wrestling on the second part of the morning training. A second training session will follow later of the day after a rest during the early afternoon. He also train with American Top team for his fights.

Early career
Antigulov fought in the Russian circuit for 9 years, and he was the two times light heavyweight champion for Absolute Championship Berkut. He amassed a record of 18-4 prior joining UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship
Antigulov made his promotional debut on November 19, 2016, at UFC Fight Night: Bader vs. Nogueira 2 against Marcos Rogério de Lima. He took his first UFC win via a guillotine choke on 67 seconds into round one. He earned the Performance of the Night bonus.

Antigulov was expected to face Ed Herman at UFC 209 on March 4, 2017. The bout was removed due to Herman citing injury.

On May 13, 2017, Antigulov faced Joachim Christensen at UFC 211. He won the fight via a rear-naked choke in the first round.

Antigulov was scheduled to face Ion Cuțelaba on November 4, 2017, at UFC 217. However, Antigulov pulled out of the fight on September 26 citing an injury, and was replaced by newcomer Michał Oleksiejczuk.

Antigulov was expected to face Aleksandar Rakić on February 24, 2018, at UFC on Fox 28. However, it was reported on February 7, 2018, that Antigulov was pulled from the fight, citing injury, as a result, the bout was cancelled.

The bout with Ion Cuțelaba eventually took place on July 28, 2018, at UFC on Fox 30. Antigulov lost the fight via TKO in the first round.

Antigulov was reported to face Sam Alvey on February 23, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 145. However, on January 25, 2019, it was reported that Alvey would face Jim Crute at UFC 234 instead.

Antigulov was briefly linked to a bout to face newcomer Roman Dolidze on April 20, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 149. However, Dolidze was replaced just days later for undisclosed reasons by Michał Oleksiejczuk. Antigulov lost the fight via knockout in the first round.

Antigulov was expected to face Ed Herman on November 9, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 163. However, on October 29, 2019, it was reported that he was pulled from the bout for undisclosed reason.

Antigulov was scheduled to face Devin Clark on February 15, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 167. However, Antigulov was pulled from the event for undisclosed reason and he was replaced by Dequan Townsend.

Antigulov was scheduled to face Klidson Abreu on June 13, 2020, at UFC Kazakhstan. However, the event for Kazakhstan was later cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Antigulov faced Paul Craig on July 26, 2020, at UFC on ESPN 14. He lost the fight via a triangle choke in round one.

Antigulov faced Maxim Grishin on October 18, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 180. He lost the fight via technical knockout in round two.

On December 8, 2020, it was announced that the UFC had released him.

Post-UFC career
As the first bout after the release Antigulov faced Vitor Petrino at UAE Warriors 22 on September 4, 2021. He lost the fight via second-round technical knockout.

Antigulov faced Viktor Vecherin on March 25, 2022, at AMC Fight Nights 110. He won the bout via second-round TKO victory.

Antigulov faced Evgeny Erokhin on November 3, 2023 at ACA 165, losing the bout via TKO stoppage in the second round.

Mixed martial arts

 * Absolute Championship Berkut (ACB)
 * ACB Light Heavyweight Championship (Two times) vs. Ruslan Khaskhanov and Muslim Makhmudov
 * One successful title defense
 * Ultimate Fighting Championship
 * Performance of the Night (One times) vs. Marcos Rogério de Lima