Umar Nurmagomedov acknowledges Petr Yan‘s victory over Merab Dvalishvili and anticipates future matchups to determine the top bantamweight, while preparing for his own fight against Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 324.
Umar Nurmagomedov isn’t dismissing Petr Yan’s impressive victory over Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 323. Still, he’s confident they’ll clash soon to decide the top bantamweight.
After his dominant performance, Yan spoke about his future as a two-time UFC champ. He suggested Nurmagomedov and Dvalishvili should rematch to see who deserves a shot at his belt. Remember, Dvalishvili edged out Nurmagomedov in a thrilling battle back in January.
Currently, Nurmagomedov is gearing up for a fight with Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 324 in January. He made sure to remind Yan to keep an eye on the outcome.
“Great, spectacular fight,” Nurmagomedov tweeted post-UFC 323. “Congrats to Petr. January 24 will reveal who’s next.”
Since joining the UFC, Nurmagomedov has been touted as the next big star, especially with his ties to champions like Khabib and Makhachev.
Although he missed his first championship chance, he bounced back by defeating Mario Bautista in October. Now, with a win over Figueiredo, he could be back in title contention by 2026.
Yan, meanwhile, faces no shortage of challengers after reclaiming the championship.
Dvalishvili could argue for an immediate rematch since he’s now 1-1 with Yan. Sean O’Malley also aims to make his case at UFC 324, having previously defeated Yan at UFC 280.
Depending on UFC 324’s outcomes, it might just decide who gets the next shot at Yan’s title.