Athletes
Umar Nurmagomedov Is Ready To Go Into Deep Waters
Undefeated Russian Challenger Is Prepared To Match Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili Wherever The Fight Goes, At UFC 311
It’s taken just three years and six fights for Umar Nurmagomedov to earn a shot at the undisputed UFC bantamweight title. Now the undefeated Russian contender plans on finishing the job.
Nurmagomedov made his Octagon debut on January 20, 2021, with a second-round submission of Sergey Morozov in Abu Dhabi, and hasn’t looked back since.
Wins over Brian Kelleher, Nate Maness, Raoni Barcelos and Bekzat Almakhan saw Nurmagomedov rocket up the bantamweight rankings. And his victory over respected contender Cory Sandhagen proved to the world that he was ready for his shot at the title.
UFC 311 COUNTDOWN: Merab vs Umar | Islam vs Arman | Full Episode
Following his victory over Sandhagen, Nurmagomedov was handed the chance to fight for the title, but an injury setback looked set to force him out of the fight when he fractured his arm.
However, Nurmagomedov stayed in shape while resting his arm and, less than three weeks later, he declared himself ready to take the fight. But he still had to convince his inner circle that he was good to go before contracts were signed.
Nurmagomedov explained, “I called my manager, Ali (Abdelaziz), and I said to him, ‘Hey, I want to fight.’ He said, ‘But we said you were injured.’
UFC 311 MAIN EVENT: Makhachev Erases All Doubt | Tsarkukyan's Journey
“I said, ‘Hey, I told you, take this fight,’ but my manager and my brother said, ‘Hey, you’re crazy. You can’t fight like that,’ and they said no.
“They asked again. They called me again. Would I fight with Merab. ‘Of course! I already asked Ali. Please make it any time. I want to fight before Ramadan. I want to be active.’ Merab told me at the press conference, ‘You have to be active.’ I’m not inactive because of me, it’s because the UFC couldn’t find me opponents.”
Umar Nurmagomedov | A Complete Threat
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Umar Nurmagomedov | A Complete Threat
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Nurmagomedov insists there’s no bad blood between him and Dvalishvili, at least not from his side, despite some social media skirmishes between the pair that have lit a fire under the champion heading towards fight night.
The challenger admitted he has no major issue with the champion, and insisted he was simply speaking the truth.
Order UFC 311: Makhachev vs Moicano
“I don't think he’s an angry person. I don't think he’s a bad person,” he said.
“I really don't know why he's talking about disrespect. Of course, I tweeted, I’m talking, but I didn't call (him) a liar, and I didn't say (he was) a bad person. I talked about the fight.
“I thought, ‘Hey, Merab, you try to avoid me. You don’t mention my name. It looks like you’re insane. Everybody talks about that.
“Joe Rogan asked him after his fight, when he won the belt. Joe Rogan said, ‘Next opponent? Umar? What do you think about that?’ And he said nothing. He just said, ‘Thank you, Dana White.’
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“All the hype around him ducking and him trying to avoid me, I didn’t do this, he did this. It’s his mistake.”
Nurmagomedov admitted he was frustrated by Dvalishvili seemingly looking towards possible rematches with former champions Sean O’Malley and Petr Yan for his first title defense, rather than facing him. For Nurmagomedov, that suggested that Dvalishvili wanted an easier first assignment as bantamweight champ.
“He knows other guys, he will beat. With me, it's gonna be hard. That's why he tried to be champion for a long time. He wanted to fight with O’Malley, with Petr Yan or someone else because these guys are easy money. Me? No.
UFC 311 CO-MAIN: Dvalishvili Interview | Umar Nurmagomedov Interview
“With me, you have to go into deep waters. With me, it's gonna be a long night. I will not give him takedowns. He will not control me. I have good skills, striking skills, and I can make for him a lot of problems.
“But when we go inside the cage, I will not think he's scared of me, I will know there's a man who will try to beat me. I'm the man who will try to smash him, and it's gonna be a battle.”
Despite his confidence level, Nurmagomedov clearly admits that his unbeaten record is at risk in a fight that, if he’s not on top of his game, he could end up losing.
“He can beat me – it can happen,” he said.
“It's not gonna break me. I will be the same Umar. A fight is fight. Everybody can lose. Everybody can win.”
But, despite being grounded in that reality, Nurmagomedov has assessed Dvalishvili’s skillset and says he does not see a path to victory for the champion when they meet in the co-main event of UFC 311 this weekend.
“I can’t imagine how he will beat me,” he stated.
Dvalishvili vs Nurmagomedov Co-Main Event Preview | UFC 311
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Dvalishvili vs Nurmagomedov Co-Main Event Preview | UFC 311
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“How? Can he hold me? OK, maybe he will take me down one time, but he’ll have to hold me there. He can’t. It’s not going to be like he did (in his previous fights). I can wrestle, too. Don’t forget about that. But I can finish the fight. If you give me your back, I’m gonna choke you. Be careful!”
And, after suggesting that former champions O’Malley and Yan were “easy money,” does he think the same about the current champ?
“It’s going to be cocky if I say he’s easy money. I think he is not,” said Nurmagomedov.
“He’s a good fighter. But the hardest challenge in my division, I think, is Cory (Sandhagen). That fight was the hardest in my life.”
UFC 311: Makhachev vs Moicano took place live from Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California on January 18, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!