UFC newcomer eyes "easy" Umar Nurmagomedov fight after highlight reel flying knee KO win at UFC Vegas 87
Umar Nurmagomedov was able to remain undefeated at UFC Fight Night 238 as he defeated promotional newcomer Bekzat Almakhan via unanimous decision. While many believe that the No.13-ranked bantamweight is a future champion in the division, he was recently called out by another fighter who made their promotional debut this weekend.
Speaking at the post-fight press conference following his third-round flying knee knockout against Benardo Sopaj at UFC Vegas 87, Vinicius Oliveira was asked who he would like to face next, to which he responded:
"I would like to fight against Umar Nurmagomedov. I think he is fighting now in the right moments and I was watching this fight. I'd like to keep watching this fight to take all mistakes, to take all strategies he likes to do inside the cage. I'm sure if I fight against Umar Nurmagomedov, it will be an easy fight for me because he just has wrestling. He would be able to put me on the ground, but I've worked so hard on my defense."
When asked if he thinks a potential matchup would go the distance, Oliveira said:
"I'm almost sure that I'm able to defeat this guy in the first round, because my mistake today was only my takedown defense, but now, I go back to the gym and I train so hard so it doesn't happen again."
Check out Vinicius Oliveira's comments on facing Umar Nurmagomedov below (3:23):
Oliveira earned Fight of the Night and Performance of the Night bonuses following his flying knee knockout, which is arguably an early contender for Knockout of the Year. While he has his eyes set on one of the bantamweight division's toughest names, Nurmagomedov is looking to fight up in the rankings and has recently called out top-ranked contenders such as Merab Dvalishvili and Cory Sandhagen.
Umar Nurmagomedov discusses humbling lessons from Khabib Nurmagomedov
Umar Nurmagomedov is looking to follow in the footsteps of his cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov by becoming a UFC champion. Speaking at the UFC Fight Night 238 media day, the No.13-ranked bantamweight revealed how the UFC Hall of Famer humbles him amid his difficulties finding an opponent. He said:
"They make me think I'm the champion in this [division]. Really, they make me think and then I'm going to gym and Khabib or someone else smash me and they bring me back on the Earth. I hope they will take this fight, they will approve it, someone top-five, maybe, after this fight."
Check out Umar Nurmagomedov's comments on Khabib Nurmagomedov below:
While Nurmagomedov was set to face a top-five opponent in Cory Sandhagen at UFC on ESPN 50 last August, he was forced to withdraw from the bout with a shoulder injury. It remains to be seen if the promotion will look to rebook the bout following 'Young Eagle's victory in his return to the octagon.