Akhmedov was born on October 12, 1987 in the town of Kizlyar in modern-day Dagestan, Russia, and is a devout Sunni Muslim. Like many children in Dagestan, Akhmedov engaged in freestyle wrestling from a young age and would go on to hold an accomplished career in the sport before transitioning to MMA. Before his career in MMA, Akhmedov also had accomplished careers in combat sambo, as well as Russian hand-to-hand combat and Russian pankration.
Akhmedov made his professional MMA debut on January 30, 2010, when he faced Iskhan Zakharian at ProFC: Fight Night 2. He won the fight via rear-naked choke. Following this, Akhmedov would compile a professional record of 12–1 before being signed by the Ultimate Fighting Championship in September 2013.
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Akhmedov signed a four-fight deal with the UFC in September 2013. In his promotional debut, Akhmedov faced Thiago Perpétuo on November 9, 2013 at. It was a back-and-forth fight that saw both men rocked by punches before Akhmedov won the fight via knockout. The win also earned him his first Fight of the Night bonus award. After the fight, Akhmedov expressed a desire to move down to welterweight. In his welterweight debut, Akhmedov faced Gunnar Nelson on March 8, 2014 at. He lost the fight via guillotine choke submission in the first round. Akhmedov faced Mats Nilsson on January 3, 2015 at UFC 182. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Akhmedov faced Brian Ebersole on June 6, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 68, replacing an injured Alan Jouban. He won the fight via TKO after Ebersole was unable to continue after the first round due to a knee injury sustained from a kick by Akhmedov. Akhmedov was expected to face Lyman Good on December 10, 2015 at UFC Fight Night 80. However, Good was pulled from the bout in late October and was replaced by Sérgio Moraes. Akhmedov next faced Elizeu Zaleski dos Santosi on April 16, 2016 at UFC on Fox 19. After arguably winning the first two rounds, Akhmedov was stopped via TKO in the third round. The back and forth action earned both participants Fight of the Night honors. Akhmedov was tabbed as a short notice replacement for Dominique Steele and faced Kyle Noke on November 27, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 101. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Akhmedov faced Abdul Razak Alhassan on May 28, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 109. He won the fight by split decision. Akhmedov faced Marvin Vettori on December 30, 2017 at UFC 219. The back-and-forth fight ended in a majority draw. Akhmedov was expected to face CB Dollaway on September 15, 2018 at UFC Fight Night 136. However, Akhmedov pulled out of the fight in early September and was replaced by promotional newcomer Artem Frolov. Akhmedov faced Tim Boetsch on March 9, 2019 at UFC Fight Night 147. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Akhmedov faced Zak Cummings on September 7, 2019 at UFC 242. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Akhmedov faced Ian Heinisch on December 14, 2019 at UFC 245. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Akhmedov is expected to face Chris Weidman on August 8, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 174.
