Umar Nurmagomedov Reveals $190 Million Soccer Star’s Heartwarming Message after Brutal Defeat

Umar Nurmagomedov disclosed a top soccer star's uplifting message following his defeat to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311 PPV.

Umar Nurmagomedov Reveals $190 Million Soccer Star’s Heartwarming Message after Brutal Defeat

After losing the UFC 311 match, Umar Nurmagomedov received encouraging support (Source: X)

Umar Nurmagomedov, then undefeated at 18-0, got his first UFC 135-pound title crack as quite the surging name. His rep for standup and slick grappling preceded him and gave his opponents a lot of trouble. He entered the UFC 311 PPV co-headliner from Intuit Dome in Inglewood as a betting favorite against now-champion Merab Dvalishvili. However, he lost that title bid.

Umar Nurmagomedov, cousin to ex-UFC lightweight legend Khabib Nurmagomedov, touted his immense sambo proficiency and a long camp lineage on those lines. He gave the ‘Machine’ a stiff test, making him drop the first 10 minutes on two of the three judges’ scorecards at UFC 311.

However, Merab Dvalishvili rallied back later with his blockbuster cardio and movement pace, giving him less than little to do. The Georgian made a maiden defense of the bantamweight gold, swiping him out via UD (48-47, 49-46, and 48-47). Humdrum or not, all wasn’t over; ‘Young Eagle’ recently said that he got an uplifting message from soccer legend Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the aftermath of his loss:

He said, ‘I’ve seen your fights, don’t give up. Everything’s ahead of you. You’re still young, you’ve got everything in front of you. Keep training’….The fact that Ibrahimović knows who I am — I was shocked.

Umar Nurmagomedov in a recent media interview (🎥: @AdamZubayraev for ‘Hustle’ Vlog: UMAR NURMAGOMEDOV; H/T: @RedCorner_MMA)

Notably, a Taekwondo practitioner himself, Ibrahimović previously made an accurate outcome prediction of how the UFC 229: Khabib vs. McGregor PPV event would go. The fact that he got a message himself was overwhelming for the other Nurmagomedov. His UFC 311 loss was hard-hitting indeed; the sweep was also quite something for Dvalishvili himself.

Never before had an undefeated prospect with that last name been dominated like this before. The champ logged 92 takedowns in UFC active competition, surpassing even Georges St-Pierre. The Syndicate MMA/Serra-Longo (LV) team fighter’s performance and absolute dominance even won the FOTN awards. However, at 29, Umar is young and has a lot of mileage ahead; something he plans to utilize to the fullest extent.

Umar Nurmagomedov discusses the possibility of a rematch with UFC champion Merab Dvalishvili

The #3-ranked Umar Nurmagomedov was one of Dvalishvili’s toughest skill-to-skill challenges. But Machine made good work of his fuel tank and caught up in the championship rounds to bleed him dry. Dvalishvili is still reigning high as the UFC 135-pound king.

Umar Nurmagomedov still has designs to capture UFC gold
Umar Nurmagomedov still has designs to capture UFC gold (Source: X)

He recently defeated Sean O’Malley and returned home a champ again. This time in a way of a third-round submission (neck crank) – 4:42 into the round at the UFC 316 PPV main event. For now, No. 4-ranked bantamweight contender Cory Sandhagen seems like the most likely option as the next title challenger.

Months after the defeat, Umar Nurmagomedov is still keen on it and wants to prove himself the better fighter. Barring which, he is ready to be bantamweight champ, with or without Dvalishvili:

I really hope so, I want that rematch, …I want to prove that my broken hand was a factor, that it could’ve ended differently, that the outcome might have been completely different; But, even if we don’t meet again, if he retires or something, inshallah, I still plan to become UFC champion.

Umar Nurmagomedov further said (🎥: @AdamZubayraev for ‘Hustle’ Vlog: UMAR NURMAGOMEDOV)

The previous title challenger explained the case of Team AKA (American Kickboxing Academy), adjacent fighter, Belal Muhammad’s mauling, outpacing, and spiking Leon Edwards as an example to cite as proper ‘domination’.

His wasn’t that; Nurmagomedov said that his hand injury played a big part in his PPV title showcase. He plans to make it different this time if he ever gets to face the champ again.

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