Magomed Kurbanaliev is considered one of the most promising and talented middleweight fighters in Russia. During his career, he managed to win the national championship, world championship (albeit in the non-Olympic category), as well as a number of other prestigious awards. After the fateful events in his personal life, Magomed slowed down a little, but the guy’s coaches hope that his ward will soon return to optimal condition.
First steps on the carpet
The famous wrestler Magomed Kurbanaliev was born in the village of Bezhta, in the Tsuntinsky district of Dagestan, in 1992. The boy inherited his love for sports from his relatives - his father and uncle Magee practiced sambo and judo. Huseyn Abdullaev even became five times world champion in sports sambo.
However, at the age of seven, Magomed Kurbanaliev made his choice in favor of freestyle wrestling. At school, he, in his own words, did not prove to be an active student, so his parents wanted him to be able to show himself worthy even in the gym.
The guy’s first mentors were Muzgar and Zapir Radjabovs, who often played videos of fights between Sazhid Sazhidov and Makhach Murtazaliev to their students. The technical equipment of these wrestlers, their manner of battle, were considered standard for the guys who had learned a lot from themselves in those classes.
As a young man, Magomed Kurbanaliev managed to win the country’s youth wrestling championship three times, after which his father transferred him to the prestigious Umakhanov freestyle wrestling school in Khasavyurt, where he was accompanied by his older brother Jalaludin.
Youth trophies
The first serious victories of a native of Bezhta village date back to 2011. He won the bronze award of the youth championship of Russia and earned the right to speak at the World Cup among juniors. In the German Pluna, he became the winner of this tournament as part of the national team and went to prepare for the new season in a good mood.
The following year, the Dagestan was unstoppable. At the Russian youth freestyle wrestling championship, Magomed Kurbanaliev won a landslide victory and earned the right to participate in the world championship. Here he also had no equal, and Magomed completed his performances at the youth level in the status of world champion.
In 2012, he simultaneously performed at adult tournaments, but he did not achieve any special achievements.
Transition to an adult level
The rookie among the venerable fighters managed to declare themselves loudly at the Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix in Krasnoyarsk in 2013. Then, unexpectedly for many, he managed to beat some serious fighters and take fifth place. Magomed Kurbanaliev had no particular problems with adaptation in adult tournaments and this year he won the national championship.
Thus, the young Dagestan left no choice to the national team coaches and was delegated to participate in the 2013 World Cup. For the debutant, Magomed did well and took a bronze award from Budapest.
A year later, he still won his first international trophy, taking gold in the championship of the continent. This season, Magomed fought easily and naturally, winning along the way in several prestigious tournaments.
Top career
After the triumph at the European Championships, Magomed Kurbanaliev somewhat stopped in his development as a wrestler. He could not secure the status of the strongest athlete in his weight category in the country, constantly losing in decisive fights. Finally, in 2016, he had the chance to prove himself again at the World Cup.
True, Magomed played in the non-Olympic weight category up to 70 kg, however, the level of resistance and competition from the rivals was very high. It was not easy for him in the semifinals, where his fellow countryman Rashid Kurbanov, representing the flag of Uzbekistan , opposed the Dagestani Kurbanaliev . In a stubborn fight, a fighter with a longer surname won 4-1 and reached the final, where Nurlan Ekzhanov from Kazakhstan was waiting for him.
Magomed Kurbanaliev confidently controlled the course of the decisive match and only once allowed the opponent to equalize, becoming the world champion for the first time in his life. So he became one of the strongest fighters on the planet.
However, after the wedding and other exciting events in his life, Magomed got a little out of the strict rhythm of training and training and is gradually regaining his form, dispensing with high-profile victories.