To say that Khabib Nurmagomedov has firmly cemented his legacy would be an understatement. After all, his reign in the lightweight division remains unparalleled, as ‘The Eagle’ relentlessly smashed the prime version of the likes of Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje crossing his path. After calling it quits, the former lightweight kingpin became a devoted mentor to his teammates, cementing juggernauts like Islam Makhachev and Usman Nurmagomedov. Just like his own father Abdulmanap who built the Hall of Famer brick by brick, Khabib carries the same vision. The Dagestani Wall of invincibility is real! And this dominance was meant to continue at UFC 311 with his cousin Umar Nurmagomedov. Enter Merab Dvalishvili!
Challenging for the 135lbs crown earlier this year, Umar tried his best to continue the legacy his undefeated cousin had established. However, Dvalishvili proved to be the Georgian mountain too steep to climb. ‘The Machine’ dominated Umar in their bout and snapped his undefeated streak. Moreover, he slammed ‘Young Eagle’ right in front of his cousin who was cage side for the UFC 311 co-main event. It feels hard not to stand up to someone’s expectations, especially when it’s your mentor. But one of his potential rivals, Sean O’Malley, believes there’s still a chance of getting back that lost pride.
Appearing on the TimboSugarShow with his coach, Tim Welch, the former champ and UFC 316 title challenger talked about the state of the division and the potential result between Cory Sandhagen and Deiveson Figueiredo. This is when ‘Suga’ said, “Didn’t you message me saying Umar vs. Petr might be in UFC 318? It could be a complete cap, but this fight makes a lot of sense. Petr and Umar. Man, that would be a such fight. Dude 5 rounds! Petr has been looking [amazing], he just beat Figgy. Petr skill for skill in my mind is the top 10 guys in the UFC. He’s a bad mot——-r.”
MMA: UFC 311 Dvalishvili vs Nurmagomedov Jan 18, 2025, Inglewood, California, USA Merab Dvalishvili red gloves celebrates after winning a UFC bantamweight title fight against Umar Nurmagomedov blue gloves during UFC 311 at Intuit Dome. Inglewood Intuit Dome California USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xGaryxA.xVasquezx 20250118_jhp_sv5_0477
Well, O’Malley did a solid matchmaking here! Petr Yan, after enduring three consecutive losses, has rebounded with a bang, defeating top contenders like former flyweight champion Dieveson Figueiredo and Song Yadong back-to-back. ‘No Mercy’ is also ranked number 2 in the rankings and is also really close to fighting for the bantamweight strap. So, Petr Yan vs. Umar Nurmagomedov not only makes absolute sense, but it also becomes a highly anticipated title eliminator bout.
The 135-pound yard is also in an interesting situation right now with an array of highly competitive challengers for Merab Dvalishvili’s belt. As ‘The Machine’ is looking ever invincible, O’Malley has also mentioned making some necessary changes that he believes are going to be a deciding factor in their title rematch at UFC 316.
Sean O’Malley on making lifestyle changes ahead of UFC 316 headliner
Sean O’Malley’s unfinished business with the current champion Merab Dvalishvili, which started in UFC 306, is all set to be resolved at UFC 316’s main event. The MMA world is about to find out if the former champion made some adjustments to reclaim the belt. But snatching the gold from a domination machine like Dvalishvili is going to be a tough task, and ‘Suga’ is acutely aware of that.
Although O’Malley didn’t completely reveal what changes he made during his training camp, he opened up about making lifestyle changes ahead of this legacy-defining rematch, scheduled to take place in New Jersey on June 7, 2025. Continuing his conversation with Tim Welch, O’Malley said, “Last time we fought the best bantamweight in the world, are the best bantamweight at the time. You know we got the job done. Very confident in my skills. Last camp, we had some s— going on, I don’t wanna make excuses, we showed up. I was in shape, we did what we could with that.”
He added, “This camp is already a lot different. Feeling good, and super excited to go out there and take care of business. I think like a lot of things I’ve made life-wise are going to attribute to my performance.” What do you think? Will Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Petr Yan happen in the future? Comment your thoughts below.
The post After Tarnishing Khabib’s Legacy, Umar Nurmagomedov Receives Unexpected Second Chance From UFC Rival appeared first on EssentiallySports.
