Khabib Nurmagomedov hopes Umar Nurmagomedov will face Merab Dvalishvili for UFC bantamweight belt: "We are neighbors, Dagestan and Georgia"
Khabib Nurmagomedov was in his cousin Umar Nurmagomedov's corner as the latter passed the toughest test of his mixed martial arts career by defeating Cory Sandhagen via unanimous decision in the main event of UFC on ABC 7. The No. 2-ranked bantamweight is now seemingly in line to face the winner of next month's UFC 306 bantamweight title bout between Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili.
The UFC Hall of Famer recently revealed that he is hoping 'The Machine' can capture the belt. In a clip shared to the promotion's official X account, 'The Eagle' stated:
"I want Merab, to be honest, because he's from Georgia. We are neighbors, Dagestan and Georgia. I want Merab [to] win because it's going to be [a] very interesting fight. White papakha versus black papakha, but if O'Malley wins, it's going to be white papakha versus pink papakha. But anyways, it's going to be good competition for Umar. Very good fight, high-level fight for all of the fans around the world."
Nurmagomedov continued:
"It's not easy to beat Umar, and it's not easy to beat Merab or Sean O'Malley. This is high level. Anything can happen, but [in] my opinion, Umar is ready to fight. Because even this fight put him one more level up, and we'll see. He's still growing, too. He's still learning. He's just 28 years old, and he's still learning."
Check out Khabib Nurmagomedov's comments about the bantamweight title picture below:
Dvalishvili will challenge O'Malley for the bantamweight championship when the two clash at UFC 306, which will mark the promotion's first event at the Las Vegas Sphere. He is on a 10-fight winning streak, and if he can capture the belt, a clash with the undefeated Nurmagomedov will likely be next.
Merab Dvalishvili claims Umar Nurmagomedov is being pushed due to Khabib Nurmagomedov
Khabib Nurmagomedov remains one of the biggest stars that the UFC has seen. Merab Dvalishvili recently claimed that Umar Nurmagomedov was placed on a fast track due to his relationship with the UFC Hall of Famer, who is his cousin. Speaking to heavywgtMMA, the No. 1-ranked bantamweight claimed:
"Umar, let's see. He has a big test now. I know the UFC [is] pushing him. He don't deserve the push like this. He's a good fighter, but he beat nobody and he's ranked No. 10. Now, he's fighting No. 2. He has a push because we all know why. He's Khabib's cousin. He's a good figher. I have all the respect [for] him."
Check out Merab Dvalishvili's full comments on Umar Nurmagomedov being pushed due to Khabib Nurmagomedov below:
Dvalishvili added that fighters such as Nurmagomedov and Sean O'Malley have been fast-tracked by the promotion. While 'Young Eagle's' victory over Cory Sandhagen marked his first against a ranked opponent, it is clear that he is one of the top talents in the bantamweight division.