In Chael Sonnen’s opinion, the wrong man got his hand raised in the UFC 311 co-main event.
Bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) retained his title when he outlasted Umar Nurmagomedov (18-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) by unanimous decision this past Saturday at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.
Sonnen thought the fight came down to one round, and that Nurmagomedov should have been crowned the victor.
“I thought Umar won the fight,” Sonnen said in an Instagram post. “When they announced Merab, I thought there was going to be a lot of boos. I was alone. I thought they were going to give Umar Rounds 1, 2 and 3. I think anybody would’ve agreed that it comes down to Round 3. (Rounds) 4 and 5 were very clear, 1 and 2 were very clear. Do you agree with that? I can’t come and tell you that Merab is the better fighter.
“That’s not what I saw, particularly if we’re talking about being dynamic, if we’re talking about being crisp, and we’re talking about clean techniques – and that isn’t an insult to Merab. It’s just a reminder that in this sport, those matches will get to a point where better athlete, better martial artist, doesn’t always come in. It is a battle for 25 minutes of duration, of your ability to keep up.”
Two judges had Dvalishvili losing the first two rounds, then rallying to win the last three. The third judge had Dvalishvili winning four rounds, and Nurmagomedov only winning Round 2.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.
