Merab Dvalishvili warned Umar Nurmagomedov will 'beat him everywhere' at UFC 311 by former UFC champion
12/30/2024 06:56 AM
Another exciting year of MMA action kicks off with a rather standard Fight Night card on January 11, before the promotion returns to LA on January 18 for UFC 311: Makhachev vs Tsarukyan.
Both the main event and co-main event of that first PPV of 2025 are expected to be razor-close affairs; although one former UFC champion believes that the bantamweight title fight is Umar Nurmagomedov's to lose.
Merab Dvalishvili warned Umar Nurmagomedov will 'beat him everywhere'
Former UFC middleweight champion and future Hall of Famer Luke Rockhold certainly knows what it takes to claim undisputed glory; and he also knows when there's writing on the wall for a big upset.
Whilst Makhachev faces Arman Tsarukyan in the main event of UFC 311, the co-main event will feature Merab Dvalishvili against the 'new generation' of Dagestani superstars; Umar Nurmagomedov.
"Umar is the next generation where he's so fluid and so creative," hailed Rockhold on a recent episode of the JAXXON Podcast, even claiming that Umar has everything that predecessor Khabib had, and more.
"This is a tough matchup," noted the former champ, explaining how whilst Dvalishvili might be "a tricky, tough, hard-nosed dude" to figure out, this title fight is Nurmagomedov's to lose.
"I think that's where Umar can win. Umar can beat him everywhere, really… He can outstrike him, and then Merab can shoot in; Umar can counter him and get to his back – I'm telling you, he's better than him everywhere, really.
"I mean Merab might have a wrestling advantage in some way, shape or form… It's going to come down to determination."
Rockhold, who now competes in Karate Combat and BKFC, shared how despite an initial leaning towards the Georgian, the nuances of the upcoming bantamweight title fight all go in favor of the Russian.
"When you think about it, you go 'Oh, that's a tough matchup for Umar', but when you start really looking at it, and you're like he's going to outstrike Merab, and then Merab's going to get frustrated so he shoots in, Umar's going to counter him, he's probably getting to a dominant position and then they go back up – I don't see that fight going any other way."
Islam Makhachev admits Umar had an easier path to his UFC title shot
Speaking via 'Yukah MMA', lightweight champion Islam Makhachev admitted that Umar has been blessed with a much shorter road to his UFC title shot than either he or the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov experienced.
"I wouldn't say that his road is very long. For example, I had to win 10 fights before I fought for the belt, Khabib had to win a lot of fights for many years before the UFC gave him a title shot.
"Umar fights, he talks – he calmy gives interviews in English, I think his chance is not far off… People were ducking him, but I think this issue will be resolved in the new year."
When asked why the UFC apparently ignores Russian fighters on long winning streaks when it comes to title opportunities, Islam did have a particularly good point on hand.
"That is not a question for us, but for the organization – its task is to make money, to give the fighters a chance to get promoted. The American public buys the most [PPV] broadcasts, watches the most, it's popular [over there], it's understandable."
UFC 311 goes down live from LA on Saturday, January 11.
