UFC 321: Umar Nurmagomedov wants Merab Dvalishvili rematch
Umar Nurmagomedov discusses a Merab Dvalishvili rematch if he beats Mario Bautista at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi.
Umar Nurmagomedov would like nothing more than to redeem his only loss, but he won’t alter his career plans in hopes it happens.
After losing a unanimous decision to bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311 in January, Nurmagomedov (18-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) returns to the octagon against streaking contender Mario Bautista (16-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) at UFC 321 on Oct. 25 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).
Nurmagomedov was performing well against Dvalishvili over the first three rounds, then a hand injury complicated his strategy, and ultimately he fell short on the scorecards. It was a rare defeat for his team headed by cousin and coach Khabib, and the nine months since have included rehabilitation on a broken hand and much reflection.
“Nothing happened that can’t happen,” Nurmagomedov told MMA Junkie on Thursday. “It was not something that isn’t happening in sport. I had my head up and looking ahead, and I will come back stronger. … You can’t control everything. You can control if you give up, how you will come back, if you do better. You have choice always.
“I did everything I have to. I did a lot of camps in mountains, in Dagestan. Now we’re here. Now I just have to go in the cage and show who I am.”
Nurmagomedov, 29, gets a stern test for his comeback in Bautista, 32, who has won eight straight fights against the likes of Patchy Mix and Jose Aldo. He is taking the challenge seriously.
“I think he’s very good,” Nurmagomedov said. “I think he’s very good, and he deserves to fight with me. He’s 8-0 run in the UFC, it’s a very good result. When I saw his fights I always thought maybe we’re going to fight.”
Since Nurmagomedov fought Dvalishvili (21-4 MMA, 14-2 UFC at the beginning of the year, “The Machine” has gone on to rack up two more title defenses and is scheduled for a record-setting fourth defense in a calendar year against Petr Yan at UFC 323 on Dec. 6 in Las Vegas.
Nurmagomedov wants his get-back against Dvalishvili but isn’t going to wait for the perfect moment. He intends to make a fairly quick turnaround to compete in January or February before observing Ramadan and will be willing to fight whomever makes sense.
The rematch with Dvalishvili will come eventually no matter what, though, and with Dvalishvili claiming he will “destroy” Nurmagomedov if they share the octagon again, he will be ready.
“If I will choose (between the belt and a rematch with Dvalishvili), maybe revenge I want more,” Nurmagomedov said. “We’ll see. Maybe he’s going to take some rest after this fight (with Yan). It’s his fourth fight of the year. It’s not easy. We’ll see what happens after our fights. But I want to fight in January or February. I don’t want to wait for anybody. It’s going to depend on what the UFC says.
“He has to want to destroy me, and he has to try, and he has to talk about that. He can’t say, ‘I will not fight with him, I’m scared. I don’t want to give him a chance.’ He can’t talk like this. It’s not champion’s style. He has to talk that he’s going to destroy me. We’ll have to see. I can talk whatever I want, and what? Anybody can talk.”
