Magomed Mustafaev is a Russian mixed martial artist of Avar heritage who competes in the Lightweight division of the UFC. A professional competitor since 2011, he has also competed for M-1 Global.
Mustafaev made his professional mixed martial arts debut on April 29, 2011, defeating fellow Russian Marat Medzhidov by TKO in the first round. The only loss on his professional record came in his next fight less than three months later against Dagestani Arsen Ubaidulaev due to a rear-naked choke. Mustafaev faced to Russian MMA prospect Andrei Koshkin on March 14, 2014 at M-1 Challenge 46. He won via submission in the second round. On September 1, 2014, Mustafaev competed in the Sochi Star 2014 Welterweight Grand Prix. Mustafaev defeated Amirkhan Adaev and Gleb Morozov both by KO in the first round. Mustafaev followed up with another winning performance against Russian MMA prospect and WSOF fighter Abubakar Nurmagomedov to claim the tournament victory and propel himself into consideration for a shot in a top tier MMA promotion.
Following the tournament victory and a 10 fight win streak in various Russian MMA events, Mustafaev signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 6, 2014. In his move from Russian MMA promotions to the UFC, Mustafaev transitioned from Welterweight to the Lightweight division. Mustafaev first fought in the UFC opposite Piotr Hallmann on June 20, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 69 in Berlin, Germany. Mustafaev won by TKO in the second round due to multiple cuts around the eyes of Hallmann. Mustafaev faced Joe Proctor at UFC 194 on December 12, 2015. He won the fight via TKO in the first round. Mustafaev faced Kevin Lee at UFC Fight Night 99 on November 19, 2016. He suffered an arm injury and lost the fight by submission due to a rear-naked choke in the second round. After an extended hiatus, due in part to an arm injury suffered in his last fight, Musafaev faced promotional newcomer Rafael Fiziev on April 20, 2019 at UFC Fight Night 149. Mustafaev won the fight by first round technical knockout. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award. Mustafaev was expected to face Don Madge on September 7, 2019 at UFC 242. However, on August 18, 2019, it was reported that Mustafaev was removed from the bout for undisclosed reasons. Mustafaev faced Brad Riddell on February 23, 2020 at. He lost the fight via split decision.
