Umar Nurmagomedov hopes for rematch after tough US fight with Merab Dvalishvili

Well-known name from Dagestan, Umar Nurmagomedov, before stepping into the octagon with Merab Dvalishvili earlier this year, had an amazing streak of 18 fights in a row, without a single defeat. Of those 18 triumphs, six were achieved in the UFC, which is proof of how quickly and seriously he made his way to the top. Many expected this relative of the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov to be a real obstacle for the Georgian, but in the end it turned out that "The Machine" was too strong.

Dvalishvili really showed the top level of that fight. He increased the pace, especially in the second half of the match, and deservedly celebrated with a unanimous decision of the judges, thus preserving the UFC bantamweight championship belt. However, Umar did not go unnoticed; even though he broke his arm already in the first round, he gave his best and showed that he is a serious fighter.

Plans

After Merab once again defeated Sean O'Malley by forcing a submission in the third round, UFC President Dana White mentioned the possibility of a rematch between the Georgian and the 25-year-old Dagestani. Umar expressed his wish that this fight would actually take place.

"I really hope it happens, I want that rematch," he said in his vlog. "I want to prove that my broken arm was an important factor, that the outcome could have been completely different."

Nevertheless, the young fighter showed maturity and pragmatism: 

"But even if we don't meet again, if he retires or something like that, I still plan to become the UFC champion. If that rematch doesn't happen, it won't be a tragedy for me, I'm not emotionally attached to it."

Nurmagomedov also talked about the fight with Dvalishvili himself, where he did not want his defeat to be characterized as the dominance of his opponent.

"Merab didn't dominate me in that fight. He had a few takedowns, but he couldn't keep me on the floor for long," says Umar. He adds that the fight was not similar to the one in which Belal Muhammad completely overpowered Leon Edwards: "When Belal beat Edwards, it was total dominance. He beat him and really did a lot of damage to him. We could call that fight dominance, but the fight between Merab and me was not like that."