The boxer who sparked outrage by knocking his opponent out with an illegal head kick has now transitioned into MMA and has been seen training with Khabib Nurmagomedov
Last year, a 21-year-old Russian named Idris Abdurashidov went viral after footage of his boxing debut had the fighting world up in arms.
Fans were calling for his arrest after Abdurashidov was seen landing a brutal head kick that knocked his opponent out cold at the Ali Boxing Club in Thailand.
While he faced no legal action, Abdurashidov was banned from boxing for life, although his fighting career seemed to be just beginning after that impressive kick caught the interest of one former UFC champion.
Idris Abdurashidov has gone 5-0 in MMA since being banned from boxing
Since his ban from boxing, Abdurashidov has thrived in the world of MMA, where vicious head kicks are legal and encouraged.
He has been nicknamed “The Aggressor”, which has shown to be very apt in his early career so far.
Fighting at 145 lbs, the Featherweight fighter has amassed a record of 5-0 so far, although four of them came before his calamitous debut in boxing last year.
He returned to action on June 17 this year, taking on Chinese prospect Mulati Yimahazi at the JCK Fight Night 100 event.
While he didn’t manage to land another impressive head kick, he still made quick work of his opponent in the octagon.
Both fighters came out swinging before Yimahazi attempted a double-leg takedown on the Russian. Abdurashidov simply dropped down to his back and locked in a guillotine choke, rendering him unconscious to go 5-0 in the first round.
He looked like an incredible technician in that bout, which could be down to his training with a UFC legend.
Idris Abdurashidov has been training with former UFC Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov
The Russian has even been training with former UFC Lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who retired in 2020 with an undefeated record in the UFC.
Khabib was known as one of the most impressive wrestlers in the UFC during his time, which included submission wins over names like Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier.
He was a submission specialist, something he may have passed on to Abdurashidov after it emerged that the pair had been training together in recent times.
Abdurashidov shared an Instagram photo from a training session with Khabib, capturing himself and others in a post-workout moment with the simple caption “After hard work.”
He has looked very impressive so far in his MMA career. If he can shake off the bad publicity from his terrible debut in the boxing ring, the association with Khabib could help take Abdurashidov to the top of the fighting game if he continues to progress.