Umar Nurmagomedov isn't intimidated by Sean O'Malley or Merab Dvalishvili and says he can "smash" them both

Fresh off the biggest win of his career against Cory Sandhagen, Umar Nurmagomedov is confident that he is the best bantamweight in the world. The Dagestani is sure that he will be the next title challenger and will win the belt.

In his post-fight backstage interview at UFC Abu Dhabi, Nurmagomedov said he is "next" and predicted that he will "smash" whoever the defending champion will be. 'The Young Eagle' said he wants to fight both Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O'Malley while seeing neither as a threat to him.

Nurmagomedov said:

"I'm next for the title. I will fight for the title next. Doesn't matter if it's going to be Merab [Dvalishvili] or [Sean] O'Malley, be careful guys, I'm coming for you... I want to fight both of them. I'm scared of no one. Doesn't matter, I will smash them both."

O'Malley will defend his title against Dvalishvili on Sept. 14 in the main event of UFC 306, the promotion's debut event in The Sphere at Las Vegas. Dvalishvili has been the No. 1 contender for several years but has been put on the backburner until he made himself undeniable with a win over former champion Henry Cejudo at UFC 298.

Umar Nurmagomedov's win over Cory Sandhagen

The win over Cory Sandhagen moved Umar Nurmagomedov to 18-0 while showing off a new wrinkle in his game as a striker. Though he still took the former interim title challenger down five times, most of the fight took place on the feet, where the 28-year-old landed a career-high 98 significant strikes.

Sandhagen is regarded as one of the best strikers in the division and was able to neutralize the wrestling of Nurmagomedov but could not get the better of the Russian during most striking exchanges.

Sandhagen is the first ranked opponent Umar Nurmagomedov has beaten in the UFC, but it's his sixth overall win in the Octagon since his debut in 2021.