UFC champion and undefeated. Those are two labels Usman Nurmagomedov thinks his brother Umar Nurmagomedov should have today.
Usman, the Bellator lightweight champion, was surprised to see Umar lose a unanimous decision to bantamweight champ Merab Dvalishvili in the co-main event of this past Saturday’s UFC 311 in Inglewood, Calif. Umar, who had a good start to his championship fight but later faded, lost 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46 on the judges’ scorecards. This took Usman by surprise.
“Honestly, I was a little surprised because I thought Umar won the first three rounds,” Usman told MMA Junkie. “When they said ‘and still,’ I thought they were going to say ‘and still undefeated.’ But anyway, Alhamdulillah. Of course, this has some effect on me, but I try to keep it inside of me. I don’t want to talk about that with people.”
Usman (18-0) returns to the cage Saturday as he defends his Bellator lightweight title against Irishman Paul Hughes (13-1) in the main event of PFL’s Road to Dubai card.
Although not happy to see his brother lose, Usman is staying positive. He believes this is just a bump in Umar’s road to become UFC bantamweight champion.
“It’s just one step back for the streak, you know, Inshallah,” Usman said. “All good Alhamdulillah for everything, we’re always thankful for God, and this time the same thing. Nothing changes.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.
