UFC 311 is right around the corner, with the co-main event set to be contested between bantamweight king Merab Dvalishvili and undefeated contender, Umar Nurmagomedov.
Despite injury concerns to both champion and challenger, the surging Umar Nurmagomedov has now walked back his claim that he entered UFC 311 training camp with a broken arm.
Umar Nurmagomedov backtracks on injury claim ahead of UFC 311
Last week, concerns were raised for the UFC 311 co-main event after Nurmagomedov revealed that he suffered a broken arm in late 2024 and had been warned about accepting the title fight on January 18 by his team.
“After I was in Dagestan, I punch my arm, I go to show the doctor, and I show them. They did, like, not an MRI but when they check bone – an X-Ray. They did X-ray and they said, ‘You broke [your arm]’.
“My manager and my brother said ‘are you crazy? You can’t fight like that’ and they said no. They [UFC] asked again, they called me again ‘will you fight with Merab?’ Of course, I already called with Ali and said make it happen.”
Yet in a recent interview with MMA Junkie, the undefeated Russian would backtrack on the claim that the broken arm was still impacting him as he started training camp for UFC 311.
“No, I’m not training with injury, I was already healthy when I began this training camp and there was not some trouble when I trained – nothing. It was very good, a perfect training camp.
“I’m good, I’m perfect – don’t worry. My arms are ready to smash.”
Despite being the incoming title challenger, Nurmagomedov finds himself as a sizable favorite over Merab Dvalishvili, with a whopping 69% of Tapology Users predicting ‘And New’ out in LA.
“I don’t think about that,” he said in response to those widening lines.
“I have my team, [and] I have close friends around me, coaches and I did everything perfect. I’ve prepared for this fight, and I kept all the energy to prepare 100%, I did everything and now, I’m ready to be in my best shape.”
Bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili has also revealed that he’d recently suffered an injury in training camp, yet according to reports, neither of the UFC 311 title bouts will have a backup fighter on standby.
Umar Nurmagomedov reveals plan to fight three times in 2025
Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley recently came out to suggest that whilst he’d be open to facing Nurmagomedov next, he’d much rather face ‘The Machine’ in a title rematch.
In response, the undefeated 29-year-old not only stated that O’Malley will be the next title challenger in either circumstance but explained why he thinks ‘Suga’ is picking against him.
“I think if they’re going to do this match, and after I win this fight, I think O’Malley will be next.
“He wants Merab to win not because [he wants] a rematch, he thinks Merab is going to be more easier than me… With Merab, he has some chance [to win] but with me, he knows [there’s no chance].”
In an ideal world, Nurmagomedov will fight three times in 2025; first against Dvalishvili next weekend, then against O’Malley in the summer, before rounding out the year with an Abu Dhabi homecoming.
“Yes, I can fight three times – I will fight three times this year [and] I think that perfect [plan] for me would be June and October.”
UFC 311: Makhachev vs Tsarukyan goes down live on Saturday, January 18 from Los Angeles.
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