Umar Nurmagomedov shares details of surprise injury that forced him out of any potential UFC matchups in January
Umar Nurmagomedov recently became candid about an injury that prompted him to opt out of all potential UFC contests in January next year. Nurmagomedov has established himself as the No. 1 contender and is expected to challenge for the bantamweight title next.
In his most recent octagon appearance, Nurmagomedov faced Cory Sandhagen at UFC Abu Dhabi earlier this year. The young Dagestani fighter defeated Sandhagen via unanimous decision, securing his place as the next contender for the UFC gold.
Nurmagomedov, who hasn't competed since, recently disclosed on social media that he was unable to compete due to an arm injury. The 'Young Eagle' claimed to be fully recovered and willing to consider any fight offers in an X post, writing:
''I had a small arm fracture and couldn’t perform in January. My arm is fine now, and I’m open to any offers. Anyone, Anywhere!! @ufc''
Although many believe Nurmagomedov would challenge for the title next, reigning champion Merab Dvalishvili has consistently brushed the 28-year-old aside. Dvalishvili claimed Nurmagomedov isn't the legitimate contender and instead expressed his desire to face the former two-time flyweight champion, Deiveson Figueiredo.
Since then, the two have been trading barbs on social media. Their feud escalated after Dvalishvili called out former champion Petr Yan for a rematch following Yan's unanimous decision victory over Figueiredo at UFC Macau on Nov. 23.
In response to Dvalishvili potentially facing Yan for his maiden title defense, Nurmagomedov took to X and wrote:
''If I were him, I wouldn't want to fight me either. He's right to be afraid."
Merab Dvalishvili is scared of Umar Numagomedov, claims Sean O'Malley
Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley recently addressed the title situation in an episode of his podcast on his YouTube channel.
'Sugar' stated that he would like to rematch with Merab Dvalishvili in April, and also asserted his belief that Dvalishvili is not interested in facing Umar Nurmagomedov. O'Malley said:
''Umar [Nurmagomedov] wants to fight Merab [Dvalishvili] in January, Petr [Yan] wants to fight Merab in March. I want to fight Merab in April. Merab is absolutely s****ing himself terrified of Umar, he doesn’t want to fight Umar''
Check out Sean O'Malley's comments below (3:15):