Shamil Abdurakhimov

Shamil Abdurakhimov
Shamil Abdurakhimov
Born	September 2, 1981 (age 45); Kuyada village, Gunibsky District, Dagestan, Russia
Occupation	Mixed martial artist (retired)
Years active	2010–2023
Known for	Competing in heavyweight category of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)

Shamil Gentovich Abdurakhimov (born September 2, 1981) is a retired Russian mixed martial artist who competed in the heavyweight category, most prominently within the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Background

Originating from Kuyada village in the Gunibsky District of Dagestan, Abdurakhimov belongs to the Avar ethnic group. His early athletic development included training in Sanshou, boxing, and freestyle wrestling during his elementary school years. Following his stint in the military, he achieved the title of national Sanshou champion in Russia.

Abu Dhabi Fighting Championship

On May 14, 2010, at ADFC: Battle of the Champions, Abdurakhimov secured a victory over Jeff Monson by majority decision. Subsequently, on October 22, 2010, at ADFC: Round 2, he defeated Sokoudjou via TKO in the third round. In his concluding appearance for ADFC at Round 3, he earned a first-round TKO win against Marcos Oliveira, claiming the ADFC heavyweight championship and a prize of one million dirham (approximately $272,000).

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Abdurakhimov entered into a contract with the UFC on January 15, 2015. His UFC debut took place on April 4, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 63 against Timothy Johnson, where he was defeated by TKO in the first round.

On February 21, 2016, he achieved a unanimous decision victory over Anthony Hamilton during UFC Fight Night 83. Later that year, on October 1 at UFC Fight Night 96, he earned a split decision win against Walt Harris.

Headlining UFC Fight Night 102 on December 9, 2016, Abdurakhimov suffered a fourth-round TKO loss to Derrick Lewis despite controlling the earlier rounds. He bounced back with an impressive knockout of Chase Sherman in just 84 seconds at UFC Fight Night 122 on November 25, 2017.

On September 15, 2018, at UFC Fight Night 136, he defeated former champion Andrei Arlovski by unanimous decision. This was followed by a second-round TKO win over Marcin Tybura on April 20, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 149.

Abdurakhimov encountered setbacks with defeats against Curtis Blaydes, who stopped him via second-round TKO at UFC 242 in September 2019, and against Chris Daukaus, who won by second-round technical knockout at UFC 266 in September 2021.

Multiple scheduled fights against Ciryl Gane in 2020 were canceled due to injuries and undisclosed circumstances. Visa complications also led to Abdurakhimov withdrawing from bouts with Augusto Sakai in May 2021 and Jailton Almeida in September 2022. The match with Almeida was postponed twice before finally occurring at UFC 283 in January 2023, where Abdurakhimov was defeated by technical knockout in the second round.

A bout planned for March 2022 against Tom Aspinall was modified when Aspinall withdrew and was replaced by Sergei Pavlovich, who secured a first-round technical knockout victory over Abdurakhimov.

Following his loss to Almeida at UFC 283, it was confirmed that Abdurakhimov had been removed from the UFC roster.

Mixed Martial Arts

Abu Dhabi Fighting Championship
- ADFC World Heavyweight Champion

Sanshou

Russian Sanshou Federation
- Five-Time Russian National Champion

Mixed martial arts record

External links