One of Merab Dvalishvili’s recent rivals gave Umar Nurmagomedov some tips ahead of his UFC 311 co-main clash.
Umar Nurmagomedov will get his long-awaited UFC bantamweight title shot against the division’s champion, Merab Dvalishvili, in the UFC 311 co-main event. He returns to the Octagon after an impressive win over Cory Sandhagen in his last fight at UFC Abu Dhabi, in which he showcased a wide variety of attacks.
Umar, the cousin of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov, has been training with a slew of top fighters in preparation for Dvalishvili’s puzzle. After an 11-fight winning streak, Dvalishvili has proven to be a frustrating puzzle to solve, particularly with his relentless grappling and pace.
Before Dvalishvili earned the UFC bantamweight championship over Sean O’Malley, he faced several former champions en route to the title shot. One of them gave Nurmagomedov some things to watch out for at UFC 311 after three rounds of experience against the champion.
Henry Cejudo advises Umar Nurmagomedov for Merab Dvalishvili fight
In a recent upload to his YouTube channel, Henry Cejudo gave Nurmagomedov three pointers ahead of his UFC bantamweight title challenge.
“The keys for Umar is one, can he keep it in the center of the Octagon and move laterally, against a guy that’s looking for takedowns,” Cejudo said. “Watch my first round and you’ll be able to see that. Two, use those kicks, those teep kicks to fake off the bottom, to make him hesitate with the takedowns.
“Conditioning. Is his conditioning ready for ‘The Machine’? This guy is at a different level. I think we’re going to hear ‘And New!’.”
Cejudo lost to Dvalishvili by unanimous decision at UFC 298 last year in his second fight since returning from retirement. Dvalishvili went on to defeat O’Malley at UFC 306 just months later, capping off an 11-fight winning streak with an emphatic title-winning performance.
Cejudo will face Song Yadong in the UFC Seattle main event next month for his return. He’s looking to snap a two-fight losing skid after defeats to Aljamain Sterling and Dvalishvili.
Umar Nurmagomedov looks to become the latest Team Khabib champ
Nurmagomedov earned the title shot following wins over Sandhagen, Bekzat Almakhan, and Raoni Barcelos on his way up the divisional ladder. His teammate, UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, will make his next title defense in the UFC 311 main event.
Nurmagomedov and Makhachev have the opportunity to bring two belts home to Dagestan after UFC 311. The bantamweight belt has traded hands multiple times over the last two years, and Nurmagomedov could potentially be the latest newly crowned champion to kick off 2025.
Cejudo is a close ally of Team Khabib and is under the same management umbrella as Nurmagomedov and Makhachev. Ahead of the biggest fight of his life, Nurmagomedov could potentially utilize some of Cejudo’s approaches to win the bantamweight championship.