Two of Khabib Nurmagomedov’s 5-star pupils were competing for the title in UFC 311. While Islam Makhachev came in as the defending champion, Umar Nurmagomedov was a challenger to Merab Dvalishvili’s bantamweight belt. Unfortunately, despite Makhachev retaining his title, things went downhill for Nurmagomedov. Starting strong against Dvalishvili, Nurmagomedov could not up the tempo while the champion made a comeback.
But this is certainly not the end of the road for young Umar. At least, Islam Makhachev does not think so. Instead, he thinks that by showing such strong fighting skills at a young age, Nurmagomedov will only mature more with time. Speaking at the post-fight presser, Makhachev made a bold prediction for Umar.
“Maybe it did make me a little bit sad, but Umar is still young and still hungry. He has time. Because he’s still young, he made some mistakes in this fight and Merab did his job very well, and they had a close fight. Umar not take some damage and he landed good shots. He also broke his arm also. One hundred percent he will come back because he’s still hungry, and he’s going to be UFC champion one day, I’m sure,” Makhachev said.
Indeed, Umar would take a lot of pros from the match. Despite breaking his arm in the first round, Nurmagomedov lasted a full five rounds. Infact, he did not take any noticeable damage and also had a superb technique to avoid Dvalishvili’s vicious takedowns. Meanwhile, as Islam Makhachev is cherishing yet another title defense, he has a new foe loading.
Charles Oliveira Calls Out Islam Makhachev
Charles Oliveira was in the stands when Islam Makhachev made short work of Renato Moicano. Stepping up in place of injured Arman Tsarukyan, Moicano did not put up much of a fight. Instead, he got submitted with a D’Arce Choke in the opening round.
Watching this, the former champion felt that it was time for him to have a go at Makhachev’s title. “It was a great fight… but I’m next and he knows that. The lightweight champion is called Charles Oliveira,” said Oliveira.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral MMA stories via Google! Follow Us
Charles Oliveira says he’s next in line for the lightweight title 👀
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) January 19, 2025
“It was a great fight… but I’m next and he knows that. The lightweight champion is called Charles Oliveira.”
🎥 @ufc #UFC311 #UFC #MMA
pic.twitter.com/L1vskdNHmB
Now, Makhachev has not yet responded to the call out. But with Dana White denying Arman Tsarukyan of any more title shots, possibilities are wide open at the UFC lightweight front. Thus, with the scenario getting interesting, it now remains to be seen how things pan out in the future.
Also Read: First Look At Custom Shorts Of Islam Makhachev And Merab Dvalishvili Ahead Of UFC 311
