Umar Nurmagomedov
Russia
Comes up short in title quest
Nurmagomedov came up short in his quest for the UFC Bantamweight Championship on Saturday, falling to Merab Dvalishvili via unanimous decision (47-48, 47-48, 46-49) at UFC 311 on Los Angeles.
ANALYSIS
It's the first professional defeat of Umar's career, and it came in the biggest spot possible. That's not to say he fought poorly, but the man he was standing across the cage from is quite literally, "The Machine." Nurmagomedov did enough good work over the first two rounds to believe he was up 20-18. He landed the slightly more damaging blows and found a takedown in Round 2. Yet, as is always the case, Dvalishvili got stronger as the fight progressed, and unfortunately for Umar, he faded. Starting from about the middle of Round 3 onwards, the rout was on. Nurmagomedov was simply too tired to competently handle the overwhelming pressure of the champion. By the time the final bell rang, there was little doubt Umar came up short. There's still plenty of reasons to believe Nurmagomedov is the second-best bantamweight in the world. Unfortunately for him, the No. 1 guy doesn't appear to be giving up the spot any time soon. While it's back to the drawing board now, Nurmagomedov will at least walk away with an extra $50,000 after this back-and-forth affair was awarded Fight of the Night honors.
It's the first professional defeat of Umar's career, and it came in the biggest spot possible. That's not to say he fought poorly, but the man he was standing across the cage from is quite literally, "The Machine." Nurmagomedov did enough good work over the first two rounds to believe he was up 20-18. He landed the slightly more damaging blows and found a takedown in Round 2. Yet, as is always the case, Dvalishvili got stronger as the fight progressed, and unfortunately for Umar, he faded. Starting from about the middle of Round 3 onwards, the rout was on. Nurmagomedov was simply too tired to competently handle the overwhelming pressure of the champion. By the time the final bell rang, there was little doubt Umar came up short. There's still plenty of reasons to believe Nurmagomedov is the second-best bantamweight in the world. Unfortunately for him, the No. 1 guy doesn't appear to be giving up the spot any time soon. While it's back to the drawing board now, Nurmagomedov will at least walk away with an extra $50,000 after this back-and-forth affair was awarded Fight of the Night honors.
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Sights set on bantamweight title
Nurmagomedov will fight Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311 on Jan. 18, per Dana White.
ANALYSIS
Nurmagomedov defeated Cory Sandhagen in August to remain perfect in his professional MMA career (18-0, 6-0 in UFC). His impressive streak has now earned him a shot at the Bantamweight Championship against Dvalishvili, who has won 11 consecutive UFC bouts dating back to 2018.
Nurmagomedov defeated Cory Sandhagen in August to remain perfect in his professional MMA career (18-0, 6-0 in UFC). His impressive streak has now earned him a shot at the Bantamweight Championship against Dvalishvili, who has won 11 consecutive UFC bouts dating back to 2018.
Victorious in first UFC main event
Nurmagomedov defeated Cory Sandhagen via unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 49-46) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Abu Dhabi.
ANALYSIS
Those expecting Nurmagomedov to roll through Sandhagen without issue didn't get their wish. That said, the way this fight played out may benefit Umar down the road. Unlike past bouts, he wasn't able to overwhelm his opponent with his grappling. Yes, Nurmagomedov did land five takedowns, but his only real ground control time came with just a few minutes remaining. Instead, he displayed the ability to win the vast majority of the striking exchanges between the two men. The constant threat of the takedown allows openings for Umar in the stand-up. It should also be noted that up until this evening, Nurmagomedov's best UFC victory was likely Raoni Barcelos. He jumped to the top of the food chain and took out Sandhagen in fairly dominant fashion. It's only a matter of time before the 28-year-old finds himself challenging for UFC gold.
Those expecting Nurmagomedov to roll through Sandhagen without issue didn't get their wish. That said, the way this fight played out may benefit Umar down the road. Unlike past bouts, he wasn't able to overwhelm his opponent with his grappling. Yes, Nurmagomedov did land five takedowns, but his only real ground control time came with just a few minutes remaining. Instead, he displayed the ability to win the vast majority of the striking exchanges between the two men. The constant threat of the takedown allows openings for Umar in the stand-up. It should also be noted that up until this evening, Nurmagomedov's best UFC victory was likely Raoni Barcelos. He jumped to the top of the food chain and took out Sandhagen in fairly dominant fashion. It's only a matter of time before the 28-year-old finds himself challenging for UFC gold.
Five-round fight scheduled
Nurmagomedov is scheduled to compete against Cory Sandhagen in a five-round bantamweight fight at UFC Abu Dhabi on Aug. 3, per Damon Martin of MMAFighting.com.
ANALYSIS
Nurmagomedov and Sandhagen were scheduled to compete against each other at UFC on ESPN 50 about a year ago, but the former withdrew because of a shoulder injury. While the Russian bantamweight fought Bekzat Almakhan, Sandhagen was recovering from a tricep injury. Both are healthy now, hence this five-round headliner.
Nurmagomedov and Sandhagen were scheduled to compete against each other at UFC on ESPN 50 about a year ago, but the former withdrew because of a shoulder injury. While the Russian bantamweight fought Bekzat Almakhan, Sandhagen was recovering from a tricep injury. Both are healthy now, hence this five-round headliner.
Survives early scare in easy win
Nurmagomedov defeated Bekzat Almakhan via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-26, 30-26) at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
Literally no one wants to fight Nurmagomedov, and this is the exact reason why. Making his UFC debut, Almakhan scored a knockdown moments after the opening bell rang. To say it was all Umar the rest of the way would be the understatement of the century. After recovering, Nurmagomedov landed all five of his takedown attempts for 11:26 worth of control time, closing with a 145-5 (that is not a misprint) edge in total strikes landed. The grappling game is simply on another level. Umar is now 5-0 in the UFC, with wins over Almakhan, Raoni Barcelos, Nate Maness, Brian Kelleher and Sergey Morozov. The company is going to have to figure something out soon here, because a guy with this type of ability is going to destroy everyone except the very top of the food chain at 135 pounds.
Literally no one wants to fight Nurmagomedov, and this is the exact reason why. Making his UFC debut, Almakhan scored a knockdown moments after the opening bell rang. To say it was all Umar the rest of the way would be the understatement of the century. After recovering, Nurmagomedov landed all five of his takedown attempts for 11:26 worth of control time, closing with a 145-5 (that is not a misprint) edge in total strikes landed. The grappling game is simply on another level. Umar is now 5-0 in the UFC, with wins over Almakhan, Raoni Barcelos, Nate Maness, Brian Kelleher and Sergey Morozov. The company is going to have to figure something out soon here, because a guy with this type of ability is going to destroy everyone except the very top of the food chain at 135 pounds.
Return bout scheduled
Nurmagomedov (shoulder) is scheduled to compete against Bekzat Almakhan in a bantamweight fight at UFC Vegas 87 on March 2, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.
ANALYSIS
For his next fight, Nurmagomedov is scheduled to compete against a UFC debutant. This is a relatively steep downgrade for the undefeated bantamweight, as he was previously expected to fight top-five contender Cory Sandhagen before undergoing shoulder surgery. The opponent is possibly not a downgrade in opponent quality either, considering Almakhan is 17-1 with 15 finishes, 13 of them KO/TKOs. Still, having previously proven himself worthy of fighting a top-five bantamweight contender, Nurmagedov still has high upside to dispatch his next opponent and re-establish himself as a legitimate threat in the division.
For his next fight, Nurmagomedov is scheduled to compete against a UFC debutant. This is a relatively steep downgrade for the undefeated bantamweight, as he was previously expected to fight top-five contender Cory Sandhagen before undergoing shoulder surgery. The opponent is possibly not a downgrade in opponent quality either, considering Almakhan is 17-1 with 15 finishes, 13 of them KO/TKOs. Still, having previously proven himself worthy of fighting a top-five bantamweight contender, Nurmagedov still has high upside to dispatch his next opponent and re-establish himself as a legitimate threat in the division.