Umar Nurmagomedov is offering to be Merab Dvalishvili’s next Octagon test after Dvalishvili’s win over Petr Yan.
Undefeated UFC bantamweight Umar Nurmagomedov wants a shot at Merab Dvalishvili after UFC Fight Night 221.
Dvalishvili defeated former bantamweight champion Petr Yan at UFC Fight Night 221 on Saturday. He’s won nine in a row and is on the verge of a potential bantamweight title shot, depending on the Aljamain Sterling/Henry Cejudo result.
Dvalishvili has been vocal in his reluctance to face Sterling, his good friend and teammate, for a UFC title. He’s unwilling to put his friendship with Sterling aside to see his title aspirations come to fruition.
If Dvalishvili ends up facing another top contender as the bantamweight title picture plays out, Nurmagomedov is more than willing to oblige.
Umar Nurmagomedov wants Clash Of Papakhas with Merab Dvalishvili
Watch Nurmagomedov’s reaction to Dvalishvili’s performance below.
Umar, the cousin of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov, most recently defeated Raoni Barcelos in his last UFC outing. He is knocking on the door of the bantamweight Top 10 after four straight wins in the UFC.
Dvalishvili picked up wins over Marlon Moraes and José Aldo entering UFC Fight Night 221. After a rocky start to his UFC tenure with two losses, he’s bounced back with an impressive win streak in the stacked bantamweight division.
Before making his UFC debut in 2021, Nurmagomedov enjoyed brief stints in other promotions such as PFL and GFC. He’s 16-0 so far in his professional MMA career.
As the bantamweight title picture evolves, a clash between Nurmagomedov and Dvalishvili could be inevitable. It might not be much longer before the UFC puts two of the best grapplers in the division against each other with high stakes on the line.
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