UFC Veteran Rashid Magomedov Faces Artem Damkovsky at ACA 113 in Moscow

Ultimate Fighting Championship and Professional Fighters League veteran Rashid Magomedov is returning to compete in his home country of Russia.

Magomedov (23-5-1) was originally billed to face Eduard Vartanyan in his first outing with Absolute Championship Akhmat, but Magomedov was forced withdraw from that bout due to health reasons. ACA officials told Sherdog on Thursday that Magomedov will now be taking on fellow ACA newcomer Artem Damkovsky (23-11). The two will square off at lightweight at ACA 113, which will be held on Nov. 6 in Moscow.

Magomedov had competed six times under the UFC banner, losing only once to current top contender Beneil Dariush. Leaving the promotion of his own accord in 2018 to compete for the PFL with visions of winning the million-dollar prize, things did not go as smoothly for him. The 2018 season saw “Gorets” reach the 2018 championships on the strength of two wins and a draw with Will Brooks. The Russian came up short to Natan Schulte for the $1 million check, so he re-entered the tournament the following year. His 2019 season was even less successful, as he won once against Loik Radzhabov only to get outmuscled by Nate Andrews and Akhmed Aliev to eject him from the tournament. In 10 of his 12 fights in the UFC and PFL, Rashid went the distance. The last man he defeated was the previously unbeaten Tajikistan native Radzhabov, who maintained a perfect record with 11 victories without a loss before meeting Magomedov.

Damkovsky is one of the more renowned Belarusian fighters, with a majority of his bouts dating back to 2010 taking place in M-1 Global. A pro since 2006, Damkovsky has faced a litany of top names over the years including Damir Ismagulov, Mairbek Taisumov, Daniel Weichel and Alexander Butenko. Of note, Damkovsky knocked out Taisumov in 2010, but the win was later avenged as Taisumov tapped him out three years later. The winner of this bout between the 36-year-old Magomedov and the 37-year-old Damkovsky will earn his 24th career victory.