Merab Dvalishvili secured a historic victory over Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 to successfully defend his bantamweight title. He broke Georges St-Pierre’s record for most takedowns in UFC history. It was also the first defeat of Nurmagomedov’s career, and his MMA record now stands at 18-1.
‘The Machine’ once again put his relentless cardio on full display as he delivered an impressive performance that wore his opponent down round after round. ‘Young Eagle’ had strong moments early on in the fight, and some pundits felt that he won the first two rounds.
But the Georgian rallied back with unwavering pressure that saw Nurmagomedov fatigue more than any of his previous fights. The champion began asserting himself throughout the fourth and fifth rounds and secured a unanimous decision win.
Following the result, Usman Nurmagomedov, the younger brother of Umar, shared a touching message with his sibling. He wrote:
“People will always find flaws in you. Not everyone can please a person. You did a great job, broke your arm in the first round, but still took three rounds and fought like a man until the end. I have no doubt that you won that fight, and people can talk, let them talk. We accept the inevitable with dignity, fights are not the most important thing in life, it does not add or subtract the masculine. We will work on our mistakes and we will come back stronger than ever.”
Check out Usman Nurmagomedov’s post below: