Khabib Nurmagomedov sees Umar Nurmagomedov one step away from another title shot.
Nurmagomedov (20-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) dominated Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 324 this past Saturday, making it two straight victories since suffering his first career loss to then-champ Merab Dvalishvili in a title fight at UFC 311 in January 2025.
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Also at UFC 324, Sean O’Malley (19-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) returned to the win column by defeating Song Yadong. Coach Khabib mapped out two scenarios he sees for Nurmagomedov depending on who UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan defends his title against next.
“It was very important for us to become this top four: O’Malley, Merab, Yan, and Umar,” Nurmagomedov told MMA Arena (h/t Red Corner MMA). “It was very important to make it clear there are only four guys on top right now and the UFC knows this. If Yan is going to fight against Merab, Umar will fight against Sean O’Malley. If they choose O’Malley, Umar is going to fight Merab.”
Khabib is running one of the great teams in the sport. Ilam Makhachev is the current UFC welterweight champion, while Usman Nurmagomedov is the current PFL lightweight champion. If Khabib gets his wishes, his team will be vying for more gold in 2026.
“Numbers talk, belts talk, and rankings speak for themselves,” Nurmagomedov said. “I don’t have to change somebody’s mind. If they like our team, they like it. If they don’t, who cares? That’s why we love this sport. There is competition, there are a lot of different fighters and teams, they can choose whatever they want, but we’re here to take everything.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Khabib sees two options for Umar Nurmagomedov’s next UFC fight
