Bantamweight believes Umar Nurmagomedov will beat Merab Dvalishvili to become UFC champion

Umar Nurmagomedov comes from victory against Cory Sandhagen. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram @ufc

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The Dagestan Clan could win another UFC belt in the first pay per view of 2025, since Umar Nurmagomedov faces Merab Dvalishvili in the co-main event. Although the fight has generated different opinions in the MMA world. For Cory Sandhagen, who was defeated by the Russian in August, there is a clear favorite for the duel.

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“I think Umar will probably win. I just don’t see a path for Merab to win. I don’t think he’ll be able to strike, but I also don’t think he’ll be able to take him down and control him like he did against O’Malley and those guys. I just don’t see a path for Merab to succeed. I think Umar will probably defend a lot of those takedowns and keep them in the striking zone,” the fighter told US website MiddleEasy.

Although Nurmagomedov is known for his grappling skills, his former opponent was keen to point out that the athlete is also a threat on the feet.

“Umar is a sharpshooter, man. People don’t really realize how fast that guy is, how good he is and how his kicks come out of nowhere. Fighting a guy like Merab will be a good opportunity for him to show off a little bit and just because Merab has been talking a lot of trash, I kind of want to see him get served a little bit by a guy who should be a good grappler,” he concluded.

Merab Dvalishvili refuses to look into Umar Nurmagomedov's eyes at the #UFC311 press conference pic.twitter.com/WDc42BVW3I

— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) December 6, 2024

Umar Nurmagomedov is undefeated in MMA

Cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov and brother of Usman Nurmagomedov, Bellator lightweight champion (up to 70,3 kg.), Umar is undefeated in 18 fights. He currently occupies the second position in the bantamweight category (up to 61,2 kg.), behind only Sean O' Malley. If he can win against Merab Dvalishvili, will become the third fighter trained by Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov to win a title in the world's largest MMA organization.

Khabib and Umar Nurmagomedov they are cousins. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram