The former Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight will face David Zawada in an 84-kilogram (185-pound) wrestling rematch under the AIGA banner in Istanbul, Turkey. The match is scheduled for ORA Arena on Sept. 20 as part of the Global Grappling Series 2026.
Abubakar Nurmagomedov faces former UFC opponent David Zawada in Istanbul
They previously met in the Octagon in November 2019 at UFC Moscow, where Zawada submitted Nurmagomedov via first-round triangle choke.
Nurmagomedov went 2-2 during his UFC tenure. His most recent MMA appearance came back in June 2023, when he dropped a split decision to Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos.
Zawada, meanwhile, will look to repeat the result of their first meeting. The German veteran went 1-4 in the UFC, with his lone victory in the promotion coming against the Dagestani in Russia. He’s also competed in Oktagon MMA, the Professional Fighters League and KSW.
Zawada’s last MMA bout went down on Aug. 1, when he lost to David Kozma under the Oktagon banner.
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