“I can fight wherever he wants,” Umar Nurmagomedov feels Merab Dvalishvili poses no ‘THREAT’ despite dominant wins over Petr Yan and Henry Cejudo

Umar Nurmagomedov shares his confident views on facing Merab Dvalishvili.

“I can fight wherever he wants,” Umar Nurmagomedov feels Merab Dvalishvili poses no ‘THREAT’ despite dominant wins over Petr Yan and Henry Cejudo

Umar Nurmagomedov on Merab Dvalishvili who defeated Petr Yan and Henry Cejudo in recent fights (Image via: IMAGO)

Umar Nurmagomedov is an undefeated prospect in the UFC’s bantamweight division. The recent UFC 298 PPV had a high-profile fight in the division between Merab Dvalishvili and Henry Cejudo. Dvalishvili made it three consecutive victories over former champions after defeating Cejudo. He defeated Petr Yan and Jose Aldo in his previous fights.

Umar Nurmagomedov recently talked to Ushatayka, an Eastern European YouTube channel. He will fight against debutant Bekzat Almakhan. In the interview, Dvalishvili provided his take on the fight between Cejudo and Dvalishvili. Nuramgomedov’s head coach, Javier Mendez, had already stated that Dvalishvili and his skillset could offer the toughest matchup to him. Nonetheless, this is what he said in the interview about Dvalishvili.

Honestly, I can fight with Merab (Dvalishvili) on the ground, wherever he wants. I don’t know why Javier (Mendez) sees such a big threat in him. In the stand-up, he can’t say that he is technically equipped.
Umar Nurmagomedov via interview on Ushatayka
YouTube video

Nurmagomedov indeed praised Merab Dvalishvili for his world-renowned cardio but ultimately concluded that he did not see a threat in him. Unlike many other fighters from Team Khabib from Dagestan, Nurmagomedov has a well-rounded skillset with a preference for striking. However, he also has exceptional wrestling, which he uses to full effect.

FS Video

Nurmagomedov’s last fight was against Raoni Barcelos in January of 2023. He had to pull out of his fight with Cory Sandhagen due to a shoulder injury. If victorious in his next fight, the UFC might reschedule his fight with Sandagen. There is also a possibility that he could fight Petr Yan or Henry Cejudo too.

Cory Sandhagen willing to rematch Umar Nurmagomedov

After Umar Nurmagomedov pulled out from his fight with Cory Sandhagen, Rob Font stepped in on short notice at UFC Nashville. Sandhagen went on to use his wrestling to easily bag a victory against Font but suffered a tricep injury. He underwent surgery and has recovered.

Cory Sandhagen gives his thoughts on rebooking a fight with Umar Nurmagomedov
Cory Sandhagen gives his thoughts on rebooking a fight with Umar Nurmagomedov (via MMA Mania/Verdict MMA)

As the timeframe of Nurmagomedov and Sandhagen’s recovery from injury lined up, the UFC tried to rebook the fight, but Sandhagen declined it. He revealed it during his interview on the MMA Today show on SiriusXM Fight Nation. However, he expressed interest in fighting Nurmagomedov if the Russian secured a dominant victory in his upcoming fight against Bekzat Almakhan.

Sandhagen is a former interim bantamweight title challenger who occupies the third spot in the bantamweight rankings. Sandhagen has only lost three times in MMA, all inside the UFC. However, all losses were against fighters who were once undisputed champions in the division.

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