Umar Nurmagomedov has staked quite a claim after getting back into the win column at UFC 321.
Nurmagomedov shared the Octagon with Mario Bautista at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. It was a chance for him to bounce back after falling short in his bid for UFC bantamweight gold in January. Nurmagomedov ultimately defeated Bautista via unanimous decision.
During his post-fight interview along with Daniel Cormier, Nurmagomedov promised to defeat the winner of the UFC 323 bantamweight title fight between champion Merab Dvalishvili and Petr Yan.
“I’ve come to pick up this belt,” Nurmagomedov said. “It doesn’t matter who it will be, Petr Yan, Merab, it doesn’t matter. I will be champion.”
Speaking to media members, White praised the defeated Bautista. He also had a comment about Nurmagomedov’s performance.
“I think going into that fight we all expected him to do well,” White said. “He was seriously motivated. He’s a very talented guy and he did well. He wasn’t dominated the way a team dominates people.”
The aforementioned Dvalishvili vs. Yan fight will actually be a rematch. The two met in 2021 and it was ‘The Machine’ who emerged victorious. Since that fight, Yan has been on a three-fight winning streak. During that period he has defeated Song Yadong, Deiveson Figueiredo and Marcus McGhee.
While Nurmagomedov’s first professional MMA loss came at the hands of Dvalishvili, he doesn’t seem to be thinking about revenge as much as winning UFC gold. Dvalishvili earned a narrow but unanimous decision victory over Nurmagomedov in their January meeting. Although Dvalishvili has made several title defenses since then, Nurmagomedov had to be sidelined due to a hand injury.
Only time will tell if the UFC matchmakers believe Nurmagomedov should get one more fight before he can compete for gold again. BJPenn.com will keep you updated on what’s next for Nurmagomedov.
#Umar #Nurmagomedov #bold #promise #UFC #win #BJPenn.com