Umar Nurmagomedov is again within the win column and again within the title image, however one mistake virtually value him his battle.
In a pivotal bantamweight contest at UFC 321 on Saturday, Nurmagomedov received a unanimous choice over Mario Bautista, using his wrestling to neutralize Bautista for a lot of the competition. Nevertheless, seconds into Spherical 2, Nurmagomedov modified ranges and ducked proper right into a Bautista knee. The strike put Nurmagomedov on his bottom, however he recovered and went on to dominate a lot of body together with his grappling.
On the night’s post-fight press convention, Nurmagomedov was requested in regards to the knockdown and what he has to do to ensure it doesn’t occur once more.
“I’ll work so much,” Nurmagomedov stated. “I’ve this huge mistake. I at all times go down, I do it a number of occasions. Even within the health club, coach Khabib on a regular basis he talks to me, ‘Don’t do that. You must repair this’ and in the present day I paid for it. We’re not excellent, proper? However we are going to attempt to change into.”
‘Coach Khabib,’ in fact, refers back to the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov, Umar’s cousin and coach. Khabib reigned as UFC lighweight champion from 2018 as much as his retirement in 2020, strolling away from competitors with a 29-0 professional document. Errors have been few and much between for Khabib in his prime.
Based on Umar, Khabib was encouraging after the battle, however stern.
“He stated, ‘Good job,’” Nurmagomedov stated. “He stated, ‘We win,’ and he stated to me, ‘Now we have a number of issues that we are able to present, you’ve got house to develop up. At the moment we’re accomplished, however we’re not completed.’”
Nurmagomedov is eyeing a title shot after failing to wrest the bantamweight championship from Merab Dvalishvili this previous January. The Bautista battle was Nurmagomedov’s since he misplaced his undefeated document to Dvalishvili, and Nurmagomedov’s aim was to cease Bautista’s eight-fight win streak and doubtlessly earn a title battle rematch.
Nevertheless, Dvalishvili is already booked to defend his belt for the fourth time this yr in opposition to Petr Yan at UFC 323 on Dec. 6 and it’s unclear if he’ll preserve his hectic schedule in 2026. Nurmagomedov is obtainable if Dvalishvili needs a fast turnaround, however is extra involved with competing once more quickly no matter who the opponent is.
“In fact, I will probably be comfortable, I will probably be even grateful and we’ll see what’s subsequent,” Nurmagomedov stated. “If it’s not going to occur earlier than Ramadan, if they provide me one other battle, possibly with [Deiveson] Figueiredo or Aiemann Zahabi, with anyone else, I’ll be comfortable to battle as a result of in the present day I change into a bit of higher within the cage as a result of it’s an expertise. Now, we want to spend so much of time within the cage to really feel there prefer it’s dwelling. Really feel confidence, really feel area, really feel followers, I wish to battle.
“I don’t have anything, I simply have sleep, eat, prepare, repeat.”
Nurmagomedov was requested if the model of himself that was victorious Saturday would have had a greater probability of defeating Dvalishvili and he gave a measured response.
“This ‘what might have been’ or ‘what ought to have been’ I don’t reside my life by that,” Nurmagomedov stated through a Russian translator. “As a result of if anyone lives their life by what might have been, it stops them from transferring ahead and from rising. So as an alternative of reminiscing on that, what I’d wish to say is that if I do get the possibility and there may be going to be a rematch, I’m going to be prepared and I’m going to point out what I can do. I’ve to point out with my actions, not with my phrases. In fact, I’ll be prepared for that, I’ll have extra time to arrange for it, and then you definately’ll see what I can do.
“Proper now, I’m 29. It’s 29, 30, 31, you develop up, you get into your man power so to talk, your bones get extra dense, you discover this power in you, so I’m simply getting stronger. So whoever it’s going to be, each time there’s a probability for me to battle subsequent, they’ll see that I’m already higher than I used to be in the present day.”
