Not only did Umar Nurmagomedov extend his unbeaten streak to 18, but the undefeated Russian also secured the next shot at the UFC bantamweight title as he showed out in front of a sold-out Etihad Arena.
Under the watchful eye of his cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov, the 28-year-old undefeated wrecking ball secured the win in his first-ever UFC main event last night on the dunes of Arabia – and it’s safe to say that the ‘Eagle’ was delighted with last night’s victory in Abu Dhabi.
Khabib’s immediate reaction to Umar Nurmagomedov’s win at UFC Abu Dhabi
There wasn’t any point in the UFC Abu Dhabi main event in which Umar Nurmagomedov’s win looked in doubt, as he was able to match Cory Sandhagen on the feet and employ his superior wrestling skills to take ‘Sandman’ down on five separate occasions.
It was a gameplan that mirrored some of the iconic performances of one Khabib Nurmagomedov, who was in the corner of his younger cousin as he guided him to undoubtedly the biggest win of his professional career to date.
As ‘The Eagle’ was leaving the Etihad Arena, he was cornered by the UFC cameras to give his immediate post-fight reaction to Umar’s impressive win over one of the best fighters in the bantamweight division.
“From five [rounds], I think [Umar won] four. From five, I think four because his opponent [Sandhagen] was very good, he’s number two in the world and he was fighting for the title – he is one of the best in this division.”
On the expected title fight against the winner of either Sean O’Malley or Merab Dvalishvili, Khabib noted that whilst he believes that Umar is ready for such a momentous opportunity, there’s some stiff competition awaiting his younger cousin.
“I think he is ready; you know with the title fight you never know what is going to happen, this is a very big fight, very big competition… And in his division, you have Sean O’Malley as champion – he’s a very good opponent and if the UFC decides, I think Umar is ready.”
That bantamweight title fight is set for the main event of UFC 306, scheduled for September 14 at The Sphere in Las Vegas – so who would Khabib prefer to win that bout?
Khabib Nurmagomedov expects Umar to face Merab Dvalishvili for UFC title
“I want Merab to win, to be honest, he’s from Georgia – we’re neighbors, Dagestan and Georgia – I want Merab to win because it’ll be a very interesting fight… Good competition for Umar. It’s a very good fight, a high-level fight for all of the fans around the world.
“It’s not easy to beat Umar, and it’s not easy to beat Merab or Sean O’Malley,” explained the iconic fighter turned legendary coach, reiterating the fact that “This is high-level [MMA] and anything can happen.
“But in my opinion, Umar is ready for [that] fight because even in this fight, it put him one level up, so we’ll see, he’s still growing too, still learning and still just 28 years old.”
Whilst Umar Nurmagomedov did call for a bantamweight title fight, that decision on who’ll actually be next is down to Dana White and the UFC matchmakers – luckily, they’re also in agreement that Umar has secured that shot.
This was confirmed via veteran Kevin Iole, who had sat down with the UFC CEO earlier in the day, writing on X: “Dana told me Umar will meet the Sean O’Malley Merab Dvalishvili winner for the bantamweight title.”
So, there we have it; the winner of ‘Suga’ and the ‘Machine’ will follow up with a clash against the undefeated Russian contender – a reminder that said title fight is scheduled for September 14 at The Sphere.