This past Saturday in the co-main event of UFC 311, the bantamweight title was on the line. The two most dominant forces in the bantamweight division clashed as champion Merab Dvalishvili (19-4) took on his toughest test in Umar Nurmagomedov (18-1).
Heading into the fight, I really liked Umar Nurmagomedov in this matchup. I liked him because I thought from a technical perspective, he had the advantage across the board. That is something that played out in the first couple of rounds.
In terms of striking, Nurmagomedov was landing the better shots even rocking Dvalishvili at one point. Through two rounds, I thought it was pretty clearly 2-0 Nurmagomedov. However, something that I didn’t give enough credit to was the gas tank and pass of “The Machine” Merab Dvalishvili.
After the second round, Dvalishvili didn’t slow down, in fact, he picked up the pace. You could see Nurmagomedov slowly wear down and as he did, Merab took over. Through four rounds, it was 2-2 on my scorecard. In the fifth, Nurmagomedov did a great job of fighting technical for the first four minutes and I had him up.
However, Dvalishvili really poured it on and stole the round in the final minute with big shots and a takedown. That led to him winning the fight and retaining his UFC bantamweight title.
What’s next after UFC 311?
That fight on Saturday night was a pure masterclass from both men. I could honestly watch these two fight every single weekend and I’d be content. I think they are far better than any other bantamweight right now in the UFC. In a dream scenario, I wish they’d just run it back.
However, that’s not what I see happening. Nurmagomedov broke his hand is potentially out six months. I think he’ll come back to a title eliminator with the hopes of potentially fighting for the title should he win at the end of the year or in early 2026.
In looking at the division, the only guys that make sense for Umar are Sean O’Malley and Petr Yan. The former champions make a ton of sense but I think they’ll potentially fight each other next. If they don’t fight each other next with one of them getting the next shot at Merab, I think whoever doesn’t fight Merab needs to fight Umar.
If they do fight each other and Umar needs an opponent, I’d look at potentially the winner of the UFC Seattle main event which will feature Henry Cejudo and Song Yadong.