Tomorrow night in the co-main event of UFC 311, the bantamweight title is on the line. The two most dominant forces in the bantamweight division will clash as the champion Merab Dvalishvili (18-4) takes on his toughest test in the undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov (18-0).
Starting with the champion, Dvalishvili is going to be looking for his first successful title defense tomorrow night. After Dvalishvili lost his first two UFC bouts, he won ten fights in a row using his suffocating style. That led him to his title fight at The Sphere against Sean O’Malley. Dvalishvili controlled the fight throughout and won a decision to become champion. His reward is his toughest matchup in the division.
Umar Nurmagomedov will be looking to become the second man in his family to claim UFC gold after the great Khabib Nurmagomedov. Umar earned this shot by completely dominating top contender Cory Sandhagen. For years, the knock on Nurmagomedov was his lack of top competition, but the promotion had trouble getting him fights. Cory Sandhagen finally stepped up and we got to see why so many opponents have dodged him. Tomorrow night, he’ll look to become champ.
UFC 311 Prediction
When you first look at the betting odds, you’re probably surprised to see the dominant champion be such a big underdog. During his 11-fight win streak, Dvalishvili has been completely dominant. However, the reason he’s such a big underdog tomorrow night is because everything he does well, Nurmagomedov just does better.
When it comes to the wrestling, Nurmagomedov is the better wrestler. When it comes to striking, you give that advantage to Umar Nurmagomedov as well. Both men have incredible cardio so that’s pretty much a wash. If you want to give the champion any advantage, it’s his relentless pace which is something that Umar Nurmagomedov hasn’t faced.
That said, I think we are primed for a new UFC champion tomorrow night. I think Nurmagomedov’s famous camp has him fully prepared for the pressure he’ll face and I think his skills will shine through as he wins a fairly comfortable decision becoming the new bantamweight champion.
Prediction: Umar Nurmagomedov by Decision