Umar Nurmagomedov says he will be UFC champion with or without Merab Dvalishvili.
Cousin of the legendary lightweight Khabib Nurmagomedov, the unbeaten UFC Bantamweight suffered the first loss of his career earlier this year through the hands of champion Merab Dvalishvili.
After losing the first two rounds of their title fight on UFC 311, Dvalishvili Umar Nurmagomedov got into the championship rounds and won an exciting unanimous decision about the distance.
Dvalishvili is still ruling the UFC Bantamweight Division, which recently submitted Sean O'Malley in his second title defense on UFC 316.
The #3 ranking order Nurmagomedov was one of the toughest battles of Dvalishvili in the Octagon, where UFC CEO Dana White a future rematch between the two teased after the last victory of Dvalishvili.
Photo by Harry How/Getty Images
Umar nurmagomedov award for merab dvalishvili rematch, says 'it will not be a tragedy' if it never happens
Months away from his loss at UFC 311, Nurmagomedov has tackled a potential rematch with DvalishVili, which expects a much different result without a broken hand injury.
“I really hope so, I want that rematch,” Nurmagomedov told Adam Zubayraev.
“I want to prove that my broken hand was a factor, that it could have ended differently, that the outcome might have been very different.
“But even if we don't meet each other anymore, when he retires or something, inshallah, I still intend to become UFC champion,” Nurmagomedov continued.
“If that rematch never happens, it's not a tragedy for me. I don't hold it emotionally.
“It's not like he dominated me in that fight. He had removed, but he couldn't really hold on to me …
“When Belal Muhammad defeated Leon Edwards, that was domination. He beat him up, he really pulled him up. That fight, you could call dominance. But not my fight.
“Mine was not at all,” explained the former title Challenger.
Dvalishvili won rounds 3-5 against Nurmagomedov on all three scorecards of the judges, with round 5 the decisive round between the Bantam weights.
TJ Dillashaw says that Umar Nurmagomedov and Aljamain Sterling Merab Dvalishvili can dive
Only a round behind DvalishVili in January, TJ Dillashaw loves the opportunities of Nurmagomedov in a rematch.
The former UFC Bantamweight Champion recently called the former enemy Aljamain Sterling as someone who could beat Dvalishvili.
Seeing the problems that Nurmagomedov poses in both wrestling and stand-up:
“I think Umar Merab could have beaten,” Dillashaw said on the Jaxxon Podcast.
“I think when he fights him the second time he is going to understand the push that he has to win to win that title,” Dillashaw added.
'I think Umar can beat him …
'[Cory] Sandhagen, I would like to see that fight afterwards, “Dillashaw said about the next opponent of Dvalishvili.
'I would of course like to see it [Aljamain] Sterling fights against him. I think it would be sick and I think Sterling can give him a serious test and possibly beat him. '
Dvalishvili and Sterling are long -term teammates and in the past have said they will never fight each other in the UFC.
Sterling is perhaps the largest bantamweer hunter of all time and is now competing in the UFC Vederweight Division.