Umar Nurmagomedov reacts to Petr Yan claiming that the UFC bantamweight division belongs to him
Umar Nurmagomedov has responded to Petr Yan asserting his claim over the UFC bantamweight division.
Former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan took to his official Twitter account to express his respect for T.J. Dillashaw. Akin to Yan, Dillashaw, too, is a former UFC bantamweight champion.
T.J. Dillashaw served a two-year suspension for EPO use and made his return at UFC Vegas 32 on July 24th, 2021.
Dillashaw emerged victorious in his comeback fight, beating Cory Sandhagen via split decision in a closely contested matchup. In the aftermath of Dillashaw’s triumphant comeback, Petr Yan put forth a congratulatory tweet that read as follows:
“Respect to the warrior @TJDillashaw Beating you is always been my goal. This is my division now”
Yan congratulated Dillashaw but added, however, that the UFC bantamweight division belongs to him now.
Following this, another Russian fighter – Yan’s compatriot, Umar Nurmagomedov – inserted himself into the conversation. Umar Nurmagomedov responded to Yan’s aforementioned tweet in Russian. Nurmagomedov simply wrote the word “Division” alongside a thinking face emoji.
This is believed to be a jibe by Nurmagomedov against Yan, as both fighters compete in the UFC bantamweight division and could cross paths with each other in the future.
Umar Nurmagomedov belongs to MMA royalty
Umar Nurmagomedov comes from MMA royalty. The 25-year-old Dagestan native is a cousin of MMA legend and former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Needless to say, Umar Nurmagomedov has been dealing with high expectations in recent years, as he attempts to carry on his family’s legacy as well as cement his own legacy in the sport of MMA. Umar Nurmagomedov holds an undefeated professional MMA record of 13 wins and 0 losses.
His most recent fight was a second-round technical submission win over Sergey Morozov at UFC on ESPN: Chiesa vs. Magny in January 2021. The talented young fighter is regarded as one of the top rising stars in the bantamweight division today.
In June of this year, Umar Nurmagomedov opened up with a rather intriguing prediction regarding his future. Nurmagomedov revealed that he sees himself as a champion around 2025.
The UFC bantamweight title is currently held by Aljamain Sterling, who’s expected to defend it in a rematch against Petr Yan at UFC 267 on October 30th, 2021.