UFC bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov suffered more than his first-career loss in the UFC 311 co-main event.
Umar Nurmagomedov‘s undefeated MMA record is no more after he lost to UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311. In a back-and-forth war from start to finish, Dvalishvili rallied over the final three rounds to earn a unanimous decision win over the previously unbeaten Nurmagomedov.
Umar, the cousin of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov, entered UFC 311 with a perfect 18-0 professional record. UFC 311 was just the second time in his career that he’s competed in a five-round matchup, after defeating Cory Sandhagen last August in the UFC Abu Dhabi main event.
In a high-octane fight, Nurmagomedov and Dvalishvili both dealt heavy blows inside the Octagon. But Nurmagomedov suffered a nasty hand injury just minutes into the fight that might’ve impacted his performance in the later rounds.
Umar Nurmagomedov broke his hand in the first round at UFC 311
In a recent tweet, Nurmagomedov’s manager Ali Abdelaziz shared a nasty image of the bantamweight’s left hand after leaving the Octagon at UFC 311.
“[Umar] broke his hands first round no excuse no excuse Alhamdulillah for everything,” Abdelaziz posted.
As of this writing, Nurmagomedov hasn’t been officially diagnosed with a broken hand by the UFC’s medical staff, but an update could be on the horizon in the coming days. The exact moment when Nurmagomedov suffered the first-round injury has yet to be determined.
Despite suffering the left hand injury early on, Nurmagomedov won the first two rounds on most scorecards, before Dvalishvili put on a ferocious pace over the final three rounds. The striking ace wasn’t able to slow down Dvalishvili as the fight went on, particularly with the bantamweight champion’s relentless wrestling and forward movement.
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Umar Nurmagomedov falls short of adding to Dagestan’s title dynasty
After suffering his first career defeat at UFC 311, Nurmagomedov will look to bounce back against another top contender and potentially earn himself another shot at the champion. Before losing to Dvalishvili, Nurmagomedov earned wins over Raoni Barcelos, Bekzat Almakhan, and Sandhagen during his UFC tenure.
Nurmagomedov wasn’t the only UFC 311 fighter who suffered his first defeat on the UFC’s first pay-per-view card of the year. Clayton Carpenter, Rinya Nakamura, and massive favorite Payton Talbott all suffered their first career MMA setbacks this weekend in Los Angeles.
Coincidentally, Nurmagomedov was rumored to have suffered a separate injury during his UFC 311 fight camp. Dvalishvili also entered UFC 311 with a potential staph infection on his left leg, as he revealed during his post-fight interview.
Nurmagomedov’s teammate, Islam Makhachev, capped the night with a first-round finish over Renato Moicano in the UFC 311 main event. Makhachev was supposed to face Arman Tsarukyan before a fight-week back injury forced Tsarukyan to withdraw from the headliner.
After he recovers from his apparent hand injury, Nurmagomedov will look towards plotting a triumphant return and getting back into the bantamweight title mix.
- READ MORE: Merab Dvalishvili smashes all-time record set by Georges St-Pierre with dominant UFC 311 victory