Regularly, well-known MMA fighters with backgrounds from major foreign organizations showcase their skills in the Kazakh leagues. It's much rarer, however, for rising stars of mixed martial arts to choose the path of breaking through via performances in Kazakhstan. The Russian fighter Nabi Nabiyev (5-0) is one such rare case. A correspondent from Vesti.kz shares the story of the 21-year-old Dagestani who, in just one fight, managed to acquire enemies in Kazakhstan and made a series of bold statements directed at local champions.
The young and talented Nabiyev fought for the first time in the Kazakh league NAIZA last week. At the tournament in Kostanay, the undefeated Russian faced Kazakh fighter Maksat Siyazbekov (4-8). From the very beginning, MMA fans saw little intrigue in this bout, and ultimately Nabi forced his opponent to submit by the third minute. Although Siyazbekov surprised him a couple of times by easily taking down such a powerful grappler.
What is Nabi known for and why was he permanently banned?
The fighter was born in October 2003 in Dagestan. Since childhood, he loved watching fights with his father, who was a fan of MMA, like many men in Dagestan. Nabiyev began practicing wrestling and achieved success in it.
Seeing his progress, Nabiyev's parents decided to send him to the boarding school "Five Sides of the World" during his school years and sought help from their fellow villager and UFC star Zabit Magomedsharipov , who is one of the most talented graduates of this school. As a result, Nabiyev was accepted there after completing the ninth grade.
Thus, Nabi added active training in Wushu-Sanda to his wrestling background, making him a versatile athlete ready to transition to MMA. He participated in various competitions and achieved success.
In 2023, he became the champion of the Pop-MMA league Hardcore FC and then fought a couple more bouts in this organization, including catching the experienced Kazakh fighter Zhumana Zhumabekov in a submission hold. But everything changed in 2024 when, in April, Nabiyev became the instigator of a major scandal.
At a Hardcore tournament, which Nabiyev, by the way, did not participate in, he attacked another fighter Arkadiy Osipyan (11-6), who had previously posted a provocative video about him. The beating occurred after Osipyan's victory over Ali Heybati by technical knockout in the first round. Nabi entered the octagon, where he had a verbal altercation with Arkadiy. Then the Dagestani threw a microphone at his opponent, and moments later, supporters of Nabiyev began jumping into the cage from all sides.
As a result, Osipyan was brutally beaten by a crowd of people, sustaining injuries including a broken leg. The fighter could not defend himself against the enraged crowd. Although Nabiyev later posted on social media, asking not to escalate the interethnic conflict and stating that it was a personal matter between him and Osipyan, videos show Nabi striking him while he was in a helpless state, receiving blows from various sides.
Ultimately, Nabiyev was banned for life by the Hardcore league, and six months later, he was detained at a Moscow airport. Initially, he was held in custody, and later placed under house arrest. However, by the end of December, the athlete shared with his followers that the criminal case against him had been dropped.
"The year 2024 was not the best for me. In any situation, praise be to the Almighty, today the criminal case against me has been dropped. Honestly, I have rethought a lot and made several decisions for myself," he said.
Why did Nabiyev turn Kazakh fans against him?
Nabiyev returned to fighting in February 2025, signing a contract with the NAIZA league for one bout. Unfortunately, a big fight could not be organized, so the Russian was given an unknown Kazakh fighter with a losing record as an opponent.
Pop-MMA fans are well aware of Nabiyev, so he has an audience in Kazakhstan as well. Initially, people were simply curious about what this talented fighter, who wishes to conquer the UFC, was like. However, that interest quickly turned into something more – into hate and animosity.
This was preceded by a press conference before the NAIZA 71 tournament in Kostanay, where six headliners of the event spoke to the press and fans.
It all started with a question from one of the journalists to Nabiyev's opponent. He asked in Kazakh if Siyazbekov was ready to repay Nabiyev for Zhumabekov. After the Kazakh's response, the same journalist asked another question, again in Kazakh. Apparently, the absence of a translator bothered Nabiyev.
"Can I interrupt you, brother? He (the opponent), okay, doesn't know Russian. But you know Russian, right? No? Aah, yes? Friend, sit in the front row tomorrow, we'll talk there in the octagon. I'm going to fight, we'll chat there. In the front row! We'll speak in Russian, trust me!" - he unexpectedly interjected into the dialogue between the journalist and his opponent.
Then another person from the questioners addressed Nabi, offering to translate the previously spoken words. The Russian agreed to this and then turned again to the same journalist who had inexplicably angered him.
"Translation? Yes, he's a journalist. He should speak in Russian so that I can understand too. Can you translate for me? That would be awesome.
Tomorrow in the octagon, we (addressing the first journalist - Author's note) will speak in Russian. Just sit in the front row. Nurbek Karabala, assalamu alaikum, please seat this person in the front row; I want to talk to him. He (the opponent) simply doesn't know Russian; it won't be interesting for me to talk to him, but with him (the journalist), we will talk. That would be ideal," Nabiyev said.
Overall, Nabiyev was quite self-assured at the press conference. He openly stated that the opponent "won't do anything to him" and even asked to be referred to as the "uncrowned world champion." As a bonus, Nabiyev noted that he is a global phenomenon, and there are no fighters like him in the 66 and 61 kg categories, indicating that his opponent has more fans in Kazakhstan than he does himself.
Many were offended by Nabiyev's behavior, prompting even journalists to ask Siyazbekov to engage in trash talk and "give a comeback," but the Kazakh fighter either felt very modest or simply had no desire to engage in this exchange. He appeared silent and said nothing in response. It was only during the stare-down that he became more "articulate," where a fight almost broke out between the fighters.
Who is now in the sights of the loud Dagestani?
Now, the talented Russian fighter, aiming for overseas success, has become one of the most hated fighters in Kazakhstan. On the other hand, he has a considerable number of fans in our country who have known him since his days in Hardcore.
After the fight with Siyazbekov, Nabi made a loud statement that he is ready to finish the league champions Dastan Amangeldy (8-1) and Nurbek Kabdrakhmanov (10-3) in one night. It seems that no visiting fighter has dared to say such words before.
"What can I say to Amangeldy and Kabdrakhmanov? Let's go out, fight, and see who is the best. If I get the chance to fight both in one night. First, give me Dastan, and after I finish him, give me exactly 22 minutes, and I will fight Nurbek," Nabi said.
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