Umar Nurmagomedov expects the UFC to give Sean O'Malley another crack at the bantamweight title after UFC 311.
First and foremost, Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) intends to take care of business against Merab Dvalishvili to win the division’s championship. He will get that opportunity when they meet at UFC 311 on Jan. 18 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+).
If he’s successful against Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC), Nurmagomedov expects his first title defense will come against O’Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC), even though he believes the former champ would rather his opponent win.
“I think they’re going to do this match, and who will win this fight, I think O’Malley is next,” Nurmagomedov told MMA Junkie. “I think like that. He wants Merab to win not because he wants a rematch. He thinks Merab is going to be more easy than me. With Merab, he has some chance. With me, he knows.”
Dvalishvili became champion by putting on a shutout against O’Malley at UFC 306 at Sphere in Las Vegas. O’Malley later revealed he fought with a torn labrum, which affected his performance.
Nurmagomedov, 29, intends to end Dvalishvili’s reign right out of the gate, and set up what he believes would be a massive fight for the sport against O’Malley. Beyond that, in his ideal plan, the undefeated bantamweight would get another fight after that in 2025.
“I will fight three times this year,” Nurmagomedov said. “I think it’s going to be – perfect for me would be June and October (in Abu Dhabi).”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.
