Mendez blasts judges after Umar’s first career loss: “Showboating isn’t dominance”

Javier Mendez, a famous trainer from the American Kickboxing Academy, believes that his fighter, Umar Nurmagomedov, should have emerged victorious from his fight with Merab Dvalishvili. Although the Georgian ultimately won by unanimous decision, Mendez believes that the match outcome did not reflect the reality of the situation in the octagon and that the judges were in favor of the current champion.

Umar Nurmagomedov, a cousin of the famous Khabib, entered the fight as an undefeated fighter looking to win the UFC bantamweight title after months of challenging Merab to fight him. During the first two rounds, the Dagestani showed composure and outsmarted the champion on equal terms; however, with the third round, things began to change. Dvalishvili increased the pace, demonstrated incredible endurance, and increasingly imposed his will.

In the last two rounds, Merab knocked Umar down several times, after which he would use moves that somehow mocked the Dagestani fighter and attracted the attention of the audience. Unsportsmanlike gestures, known as "showboating," were an important factor in the judges' decision in favor of the current champion, according to Javier Mendez.

"I told Umar that I thought he won three out of five rounds. Maybe I'm subjective, but Merab's behavior at the end of the match gave the impression that he controlled the fight. Judges sometimes value what they see as confidence and dominance more than actual damage or technical performance," Mendez said in the "Javier & Mo" podcast.

Although two judges scored the fight 48-47 for Dvalishvili and the third gave him four rounds, the match was extremely close. Later, the Dagestani team revealed that Umar was fighting with a broken hand, which further casts a stain on the Georgian fighter's unsportsmanlike moves.

Dvalishvili will defend his bantamweight title against the popular Sean O'Malley on June 7, while Nurmagomedov remains in search of another opportunity to reclaim the championship belt. Regardless of the possible motives of the referee in the last match, Merab showed that fighters with the name Nurmagomedov can be beaten.