Khabib Nurmagomedov has implored his latest world title contender cousin to practice patience as he is moved around for his next fight.
It appears that the unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov is the clear top contender for Merab Dvalishvili’s newly-minted bantamweight title. The Georgian defeated Sean O’Malley for the belt at UFC 306, but has not seemed keen since to confirm that he will face his top contender.
Instead, he looks to be angling for a rematch with O’Malley, who has continuously claimed to have done enough to win the first fight on the scorecards. This has meant Nurmagomedov has been pushed down the pecking order, and may even have to take another fight in the interim.
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Merab Dvalishvili seems to have two contenders ahead of Umar Nurmagomedov
Heading into O’Malley and Dvalishvili’s clash at Sphere in Las Vegas, it appeared clear that Umar Nurmagomedov was the clear number one contender. He had just defeated Corey Sandhagen in Abu Dhabi, bringing his undefeated record up to 18-0.
But after travelling to Nevada to watch the bout ringside, it appears that the fight has gotten further and further away from the title fight. O’Malley had very clearly named him as his next contender if he were to win, but it seems that Dvalishvili wants a different path.
Immediately after his victory, the Georgian claimed that he views Deiveson Figueiredo as a more legitimate challenger for his belt. The former flyweight champion faces ex-bantamweight king Petr Yan next time out, and Dvalishvili seems more keen on the winner of that bout than anything else.
And the champion reckons that Nurmagomedov is trying to get himself finished in order to avoid fighting him. “I’m not scared of no one, only God,” Dvalishvili told fans during a Q&A last week. “Where is this guy [Nurmagomedov]?
“Where? He’s taking fights, he’s scared, he’s fighting somebody else, where is he? Where is he? Tell me. He wants to get knocked out from somebody and then he’s gonna make excuse… He’s not going to make this fight. I’m not making fight.
“Dana White and Hunter [Campbell] making decision to who I’m going to fight next. I don’t make decision. I never make decision. If Dana White tell me I have to fight Umar, I’ll fight Umar.
“But you know what, Umar doesn’t deserve to fight me. Sean O’Malley deserve to fight me and I’m going to rematch him.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov sends message of support to cousin Umar Nurmagomedov
Umar Nurmagomedov is not generally the type to speak out and demand things from the UFC or his fellow fighters. And his cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov noted that he found himself in a similar situation for years in his career prior to reaching the world level.
He was passed over in favor of Conor McGregor for the lightweight belt at UFC 205 in November of 2016. And he had to wait two more years before finally getting a shot at the Irishman, which made him a household name.
The pair’s teammate Islam Makhachev then faced a similar fate in more recent years, having to amass a monstrous winning streak before getting his shot at Charles Oliveira, which he won. Khabib recognised this, sending his cousin a message on his Instagram stories.
“Islam [Makhachev] and I have already been in his place,” he explained. “This is called a transition period. Over time, everyone will want to fight you. Just keep pushing forward.”
Dana White insists that Umar Nurmagomedov title shot is next
Luckily for Nurmagomedov, the decision making around who fights for the title isn’t up to the champion. The UFC will decide who competes for the bantamweight belt next, and CEO Dana White is under no illusion as to who has earned the shot.
Speaking after UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi on Saturday night, his message was clear: “Umar is next.” He also claimed that it was “absolutely” set in stone that he would fight for the belt, and denied reports that he would be taking an interim fight with Song Yadong in December.
White has always been close with the Nurmagomedov family, and regularly pushed for Khabib to make his return to action after retiring in 2020. And it seems he will remain loyal to their team, getting Umar the fight he has earned.
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