Sean O’Malley questions Umar Nurmagomedov's injury ahead of Merab Dvalishvili fight, eyes rematch with ‘The Machine'
Umar Nurmagomedov and Merab Dvalishvili will clash in the co-main event of UFC 311 on Jan. 18 for the bantamweight title. However, with Nurmagomedov having stated in November that he was injured and unable to compete next month, Sean O'Malley has shared speculation about how the apparent injury could affect the challenger.
O'Malley himself entered his title fight with Dvalishvili at Noche UFC 306 with a hip injury, which appeared to severely hinder his grappling ability. With 'The Machine' revered for his relentless wrestling skillset, O'Malley suffered a unanimous decision loss.
Ahead of UFC 311, the former champion discussed Dvalishvili's upcoming clash with the Dagestani whilst appearing on Jake Shields' podcast. He said:
"It's a title fight, and it's in 30 days. And Umar supposedly f**king fractured his arm, supposedly he's pretty injured. In my mind, I want the winner, whether it's Umar [or] Merab. I'd prefer Merab. I want to get that one back badly."
He continued:
"I don't feel like people are super excited about that fight just because of the way it played out... Dude, I had [Dvalishvili] running in the fifth-round. 80% of that round he was literally just circling around, holding his guts."
Catch O'Malley discussing Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov below (16:50):
Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov broken down by Cory Sandhagen
Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov will co-headline UFC 311 alongside Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan, who will compete for the lightweight title in the main event.
'The Machine' had been accused of avoiding a fight with Nurmagomedov, which led to a last-minute request to appear on January's pay-per-view card from the bantamweight champion, according to Dana White.
A former opponent of 'Young Eagle', Cory Sandhagen has now broken down the 135-pound title fight. The perennial contender was recently interviewed by James Lynch, saying:
"I think that Umar probably will win. I just can't really see a path for Merab to win. I don't think that he's going to be able to strike with [Nurmagomedov]. But I also don't think that he'll be able to take him down and control him like he was able to do against O'Malley."
He continued:
"I think that Umar is likely going to defend a lot of those shots, keep it in the striking realm. Umar is a sniper man, people don't really realize how fast that guy is and how good he is and how his kicks come out of nowhere."
Catch Sandhagen predict Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov below (11:20):