Umar Nurmagomedov was the perfect fighter in the early rounds against UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili. While fatigue did not make a coward of Nurmagomedov, it certainly caused his downfall at UFC 311 on Saturday as Dvalishvili outpointed his foe en route to a unanimous decision win (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) to retain the bantamweight title.
Dvalishvili required some troubleshooting before putting Nurmagomedov through the same pressure cooker as his last 11 opponents. Nurmagomedov’s well-rounded game was impeccable in rounds one and two. The challenger stuffed Dvalishvili’s takedowns, landed lightning-fast combinations and wobbled Dvalishvili. But the champion was as defiant as he was bloodied.
“I’m training all the time,” Dvalishvili told UFC commentator Joe Rogan post-fight. “I am ‘The Machine.’ When I took this fight, it was on six weeks’ notice. I had a bad cut on my leg… I have an infection on my leg and I hurt my lower back.”
Dvalishvili relentlessly pressed forward as momentum shifted in the champion’s favor in Round 3. Dvalishvili could sense the challenger’s stamina draining. Dvalishvili, a well-documented wildman, conversed with UFC commentators and showboated while Nurmagomedov attempted to take him down. Dvalishvili, at times, treated Nurmagomedov more like a stubborn pest than a threat to his UFC title. Dvalishvili never looked back once he took over and looked confident once the final horn sounded.
“Umar is a good fighter but he called me old,” Dvalishvili said. “Yes, I’m old but I’m working every day. I’m a harder worker.
“People, please, don’t let them bully you. Don’t underestimate yourself. Believe in yourself and everything is possible. Please don’t let them break you because the whole world was against me. I was thinking, ‘I don’t give a shit.’ I believe in myself. I believe in my hard work. I don’t care where I came from. I came from a village in Georgia. I was working construction while Umar was growing up training — with big respect — Abdulmanap. Of course, they are great. But I believed in myself.”
Dvalishvili landed seven takedowns, becoming the first fighter to takedown Nurmagomedov. More importantly, Dvalishvili set a new record. Dvalishvili increased his UFC takedown total to 91, eclipsing previous record holder and UFC Hall of Famer George St-Pierre.
“I could retire today and die happy,” Dvalishvili said.
Nurmagomedov, cousin and pupil of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov, also spoke with Rogan post-fight. Nurmagomedov claimed to have broken his hand in Round 1 and believed he won the first three rounds. Dvalishvili improved to 19-4 after his first successful title defense. Nurmagomedov (18-1) suffered his first career loss.
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