Khabib's cousin surprises and aims to fight against former Brazilian champion in the UFC

Some behind the scenes at the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/UFC

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Umar Nurmagomedov confirmed his status as favorite at UFC 321, but surprised by projecting his next step in the octagon. Last Saturday (25), in Abu Dhabi (UAE), the Russian defeated Mario Bautista by unanimous decision, recovering from the defeat suffered against Merab Dvalishvili , bantamweight champion (up to 61,2 kg), in January. Now, Khabib's cousin is closer to competing for the title again, but has opened the door for another fight to happen.

Umar opened the door to facing Deiveson Figueiredo in a potential title eliminator fight. It's true that Khabib's cousin has reinforced his interest in challenging the champion for a second time, especially if the Georgian defends his title against Petr Yan in December.

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However, since his performance at UFC 321 failed to convince part of the MMA community, the Russian made it clear that he sees no problem in having another fight to prove his quality and be worthy of competing for the belt again. As the Brazilian is coming off a victory and is ranked sixth, Umar mentioned him as a target, as well as Aiemann Zahabi , who is riding a seven-fight winning streak.

"Of course I'll be happy, I'll even be grateful. We'll see what happens. If the rematch doesn't happen before Ramadan, if the UFC gives me another fight, maybe Deiveson, Zahabi, or anyone else, I'll be happy to fight, because today, I've become a little better in the octagon. It's experience. You need to spend a lot of time in the octagon to feel at home, to feel confident, the arena, and the fans. I want to fight," said the fighter at the post-UFC 321 press conference.

Rise in the rankings

With his victory over Mario Bautista at UFC 321, Umar Nurmagomedov moved up one spot in the bantamweight rankings, becoming number one and surpassing Sean O'Malley and Petr Yan . Therefore, Khabib's cousin, a former title challenger in the division, is only below champion Merab Dvalishvili.

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