Damir Ismagulov delays MMA retirement

Damir Ismagulov, Arman Tsarukyan, UFC

Damir Ismagulov has ended his month-long retirement. 

On Instagram, the UFC lightweight announced his intentions to unretire after finding out that he has one more fight left in his contract. He shared that he wants to fight at least one more time and called out his recent opponent Arman Tsarukyan

Recently, [my manager Sayat Abdrakhmanov] informed me that I have one more fight left under my contract with @ufc . There were many offers from other leagues where fees were way higher and you could go in there and make money, but I came to @ufc not for the money but for the legacy, to prove to myself that I can compete against the strongest fighters! I finished my career, but after finding out I had another fight under my contract, I decided to go back and finish it! We accept to repay our debts! In the ultimate fight I lost to [Arman Tsarukyan] who is one of the strongest lightweight fighters in @ufc his fight is really on a good level! I would have let go of this moment if I knew I did everything I could and still lost. I think we can show the fight a lot better, more spectacular than 5 rounds or 3 doesn’t matter! We promised the fans to finish our fight early! @danawhite @sayatus @seanshelby revenge for us. Let’s hold the last battle with fireworks.”

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Damir Ismagulov Wants To Redeem His Only UFC Loss

Ismagulov lost by unanimous decision to Tsarukyan last month at UFC Vegas 66. A couple weeks later, he announced his retirement and cited health problems as the reason. 

Now, the 31-year-old is looking to finish his career on his own terms. Before his recent loss, he was on a five-fight unbeaten streak. He holds a 24-2 record with 13 finishes in mixed martial arts.