Rasul Magomedov, who beat Kyle Snyder in wrestling, set to make pro MMA debut in June

Rasul Magomedov is making his professional MMA debut in June under the Brave CF banner. Magomedov is one of the few men to ever defeat wrestling legend Kyle Snyder in a freestyle match.

After scoring 13 straight amateur MMA wins in a span of 18 months between 2021 and 2023, and clinching two IMMAF World Championship titles as a heavyweight, Magomedov will cut down to 205 pounds and face Mohamed Hisham Baraka (1-0) at Brave CF 72 in Bahrain on June 23, promotion officials confirmed to MMA Fighting.

“My amateur career helped me a lot,” Magomedov told MMA Fighting of his decision to turn pro in 2023. “After hundreds of fights in wrestling and sambo, I didn’t feel the pressure of competition in MMA. I see this happening a lot with fighters who start straight in MMA, so I didn’t have the pressure.”

Magomedov said that combat sambo is “very similar to mixed martial arts, so when I did make my debut in amateur MMA, it wasn’t completely new to me.” Magomedov scored three knockouts and one submission across 13 amateur MMA bouts.

“I’m watching the light heavyweight rankings worldwide and I don’t see any unbeatable name in the top 10,” Magomedov said. “I can see myself on the top of that ranking.”

Watch Magomedov’s 2019 wrestling win over Snyder below.

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