Umar Nurmagomedov is here to carry forward his uncle’s legacy. Creating a strong case for himself after going undefeated in the UFC, Nurmagomedov now stands on the brink of history. After just six matches in the promotion, he will be facing Merab Dvalishvili for a bantamweight title fight. And while the fight with Dvalishvili is expected to be tough for Umar, the 29-year-old is utterly confident about becoming the champion.
What’s more? Nurmagomedov is also sure that he will not be incurring a lot of injuries in his UFC 311 title fight. Trying to fight as many times as possible, the Dagestani fighter made a bold claim of predicting a three-match schedule for 2025.
“Whoever wins this fight, I think O’Malley is next. [O’Malley] wants Merab to win, not because of a rematch, he thinks Merab gonna be more easy than me… I will fight 3 times in this year. Perfect for me is June and October,” said Nurmagomedov in an interaction with MMA Junkie.
Umar Nurmagomedov says he will fight 3 times this year, and believes that Sean O'Malley will face the winner of the fight between him and Merab:
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) January 10, 2025
"Whoever wins this fight, I think O'Malley is next. [O'Malley] wants Merab to win, not because of a rematch, he thinks Merab gonna be… pic.twitter.com/8fXKUrJIDd
Meanwhile, building up to the big fight on January 11, 2025, both Umar and Merab are strengthening their cheering team. While the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov returns to his cousin’s corner, Merab Dvalishvili could very well pull off a stunner.
Merab Dvalishvili Might Rope In Best Friend To Negate Khabib And Umar Nurmagomedov Threat
Umar Nurmagomedov made it official that his uncle Khabib would be cheering for him when he battles for the title. This could be a significant mental boost for the Dagestani, as having a legend like Khabib will make him fine-tune his skills further. But Merab Dvalishvili is not lagging behind, either. He might have the UFC featherweight champion, Ilia Topuria, turn up in his corner!
“Ray Longo will fly out from New York, and Aljamain Sterling – my best friend and training partner – will be with me. I’m going to ask Ilia if he has time and go from there,” Dvalishvili recently stated in an interaction.
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👀🤝Merab Dvalishvili plans to ask Ilia Topuria to corner him for his fight against Umar Nurmagomedov at #UFC311
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) January 9, 2025
🎥 @ufcontnt ▫️ pic.twitter.com/T9KATUQ1oY
Thus, it is evident that the battle lines are well and truly drawn. It now will be interesting to find out whether Umar Nurmagomedov will be able to stick to his lofty claims for 2025 or not.
Also Read: Former Bantamweight Champion Eyes Mid-2025 Clash with Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov Winner
