Umar Nurmagomedov Selflessly Nominates Rival Merab Dvalishvili as ‘Fighter of The Year’

After losing to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311 back in January, Umar Nurmagomedov applauds the Georgian's activity and performances.

Umar Nurmagomedov Selflessly Nominates Rival Merab Dvalishvili as ‘Fighter of The Year’

Umar Nurmagomedov names Merab Dvalishvili as Fighter of The Year (via Reddit, Instagram)

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In discussions about annual MMA honors, activity level, title defenses, and strength of schedule regularly shape the criteria used by media and analysts. UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili, in particular, has seen sustained turnover at the top, making repeat defenses more uncommon relative to other title holders. Former rival Umar Nurmagomedov recently praised this activity of the Georgian.

Dvalishvili captured the title in September 2024 by defeating Sean O’Malley and has maintained a high rate of competition since entering the promotion. His run to the belt included a streak of wins over multiple former champions and top-five opponents, such as Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan, and Jose Aldo. The Georgian recently extended his win streak to 14 wins after defeating Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320.

Dvalishvili is set to rematch Yan in December at UFC 323. If he completes a fourth successful title defense within the qualifying period for year-end awards, he would become the first UFC champion to register that number of defenses in a single continuous reign in a year. He kick-started this record with a win over Nurmagomedov at UFC 311. The Dagestani recently applauded Dvalishvili’s 2025 activity and record.

I think he deserves to be the fighter of the year because he’ll defend the title for the fourth time. Nobody is doing that. He’s very active. It’s amazing.

Umar Nurmagomedov via Weighing In

Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov were involved in an intense rivalry leading up to their bout with constant trash talk, which made their feud personal. The Dagestani native was heavily tested against Dvalishvili, who technically dismantled him with constant takedowns and landing better significant strikes. However, Nurmagomedov disputed the loss and claimed that a broken hand had slowed him down.

Nurmagomedov has made a name for himself in the promotion and rapidly rose through the ranks since his debut in 2021 to earn the UFC 311 title shot under the guidance of UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov. The young Dagestani contender also vowed to exact revenge against Dvalishvili after the Georgian champion promised to make their rematch a violent war.

However, Umar Nurmagomedov is set to fight #8-ranked bantamweight Mario Bautista at UFC 321 on October 25th. It remains to be seen if the Dagestani native will be able to put an end to Bautista’s eight-fight win streak. A win at UFC 321 would undoubtedly strengthen his case for a title rematch against Merab Dvalishvili if he were to defend successfully against Petr Yan at UFC 323.

Umar Nurmagomedov weighs in on Merab Dvalishvili vs Petr Yan at UFC 323

In the bantamweight division, rematches and stylistic rematches often generate renewed analytical interest when one fighter has shown measurable development since the first meeting. This is the case for the upcoming rematch between Merab Dvalishvili and Petr Yan at UFC 323. While Yan credits injury for his loss in their first meeting in 2023, Dvalishvili and his team have diminished every claim as “excuses”.

Umar Nurmagomedov warns Petr Yan for Merab Dvalishvili rematch
Umar Nurmagomedov warns Petr Yan for Merab Dvalishvili rematch (via MMA Mania, Playoffs)

Umar Nurmagomedov recently assessed the competitive outlook of the rematch between Dvalishvili and Yan. While he was in an intense rivalry with the Georgian, Nurmagomedov praised the sheer dominance of Dvalishvili inside the cage. He analyzed the UFC 323 main event and gave Yan some words of warning for the upcoming rematch during an interview with the Weighing In show.

From the last fight with Petr Yan, Merab became much better. The last fight with Cory Sandhagen showed he’s gonna wrestle all night, and it’s a big trouble for Petr Yan. He doesn’t have good defense, but he has good arms and he can knock out. But if it’s not going to be a knockout, I think Merab is gonna maul Petr.

Umar Nurmagomedov via Weighing In

Yan’s offense has historically been most effective in clean striking phases and less productive when forced into prolonged mat returns or fence-riding sequences. Umar Nurmagomedov framed the rematch debate around those dynamics, with one side expecting Merab Dvalishvili’s cumulative control to replicate the first outcome and the other assigning weight to Petr Yan’s limited but decisive striking window.

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