Athletes
The Reintroduction of Islam Dulatov
Promising Welterweight Prospect Returns For Sophomore Appearance On Saturday
Islam Dulatov didn’t want to be away from the Octagon for this long after turning in an impressive debut last summer at UFC 318, but the Dana White’s Contender Series graduate has always maintained there are two things that come ahead of his fighting career: religion and family. Over the previous 12 months, both needed his attention.
“We were going through some stuff, but the most important thing is that everything is good now, everything is done,” Dulatov said ahead of his bout with Wellington Turman in Abu Dhabi. “The most important reason is that it was Ramadan — I couldn’t fight during Ramadan when I got offered a fight, and before that time, it was something personal with my family, so I needed to take time for myself, for my family, and I did.
“But now we’re back, everything is fixed, so let’s do it.”
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For those that may have missed his debut last summer or had it slip from memory, Dulatov forecasted a first-round finish of Adam Fugitt and delivered, dispatching the veteran from with a straight right hand.
The win pushed his winning streak to a dozen and kept his finishing rate at 100 percent, immediately positioning him as someone to keep tabs on in the 170-pound ranks.
“It went how I wanted,” he said. “I said I was going to finish him in the first round, so I talked, and I did it. I always try to come for a finish, knock people out — I try to entertain the people who come to watch the fight because I know people love violence, and I try to give them what they love.
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“It was a very good opportunity for me to see more of what’s going on inside the UFC, how big all of this is, and I realized for myself that it’s not that big… We make it so big in our heads and because of that, you make yourself nervous. At the end of the night, everybody is going out, they go home, and Monday, everybody forgot about you and they have to go to work.”
Dulatov laughed.
“It’s not that deep, so just go in, put on a show, show some skills. Try to have fun.”
That is precisely what he is focused on doing this weekend when he steps in with Turman, who turns 30 on Wednesday and will be competing for the first time in over two years when they face off on Saturday.
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The Brazilian reached the UFC at age 22, dropping a split decision to Karl Roberson before going 3-3 over his next six appearances at middleweight before relocating to the welterweight division. Thus far, the move down the scale has resulted in a pair of losses and an extended hiatus, which is why Dulatov was a little surprised when he was offered a matchup with Turman this weekend.
That being said, he knows not to take Turman or anyone else for granted.
“He’s a good guy, I respect him, and he seems to be a tough guy as well in the fights, but I know what I want to do and I’m going to knock him out, 100 percent, insh’Allah,” Dulatov said. “He’s a good guy, good experience — nine fights in the UFC; eight more than me — but I think when he fought middle-level guys, they beat him, and bad guys, he beat them, so I need to beat him and that’s it… I know I always have to be humble. I know everybody is coming to fight. He’s a dangerous guy, 100-percent, but I also know my skills are very good, and I know I can beat everyone if I do my job in the right way. I heard today that Wellington told an interviewer that he’s gonna submit me because he thinks my jiu jitsu is my weakness, but to be honest, people who grapple with me who are much better than him have told me, ‘Your grappling is very highly skilled.’
“There is a reason people don’t see this and it’s because I never need to show it and I never need to wrestle. But I’m from Chechnya, so I don’t know how people can think they can wrestle and I can’t wrestle? But it is what it is, and we maybe have to show them some wrestling.”
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Though he’ll wrestle if required, for Dulatov, the game plan is pretty straightforward.
“People say he’s going to try to wrestle — of course he’s going to try to wrestle. What else is he going to do? I don’t think he’s going to try to fight in a striking match with me — of course not — so it’s grappler versus a striker, but I can also wrestle… I know he has a good submission game, he’s a black belt, he can wrestle a little bit, so what I need to do is defend the takedowns, punch him hard, and knock him out.”
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And if everything goes as planned, don’t expect “The Ripper” to go another 12 months between appearances.
“I need definitely to stay active and I want to stay active,” Dulatov said with a smile washing across his face. “I said to my coach, ‘After this fight, we go on some small vacation, and right after, we’re gonna start the next camp,’ because I want to fight again before the end of the year.”
UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs Guskov took place live from Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on July 25, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!