It was weird when UFC pulled down Umar Nurmagomedov’s UFC 311 Pre-fight check-ins with Brett Okamoto for ESPN MMA. Both he and Merab Dvalishvili took part in their conducted check-ins before meeting each other. Two days after pulling the video from YouTube, the promotion has quietly republished it yet again. As it turns out, the challenger’s unhealed arm injury might be the cause for it.
Merab Dvalishvili wanted anyone but ‘Young Eagle’ for his UFC 311 title fight on January 18. The banter was up to a point where Nurmagomedov slammed him for angling a March matchup. It’s when Nurmagomedov has Ramadan. However, soon after, the title challenger said he couldn’t fight in an early frame due to a broken arm. In the latest interview, he shed some light on it.
After I was in Dagestan, I punch my arm, …I go to show the doctor and I show them. They did X-ray and they said, ‘You broke [your arm].’ You know after that, after 20 days I go again even when I was broken, I was running. I want to still be in shape, you know. Even that time I try to run, try to do shadowboxing, try to be in shape. And after 20 days I go again, and it’s become much better.
Umar Nurmagomedov to Brett Okamoto for ESPN MMA (@ESPNMMA)
The UFC loses several fighters to Ramadan late next month. That’s probably why the promotion rushed to put Nurmagomedov and Dvalishvili on the January calendar. But Umar Nurmagomedov’s admission could raise questions with the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) and potentially jeopardize the title fight.
The UFC hastily pulled the Nurmagomedov video from YouTube but has since re-posted it. The UFC 311 fighter also explained that there was substantial pleading from manager Ali Abdelaziz and camp AKA to not fight injured. However, he did not yet mention being fully fused/healed.
Even my punches and other things, I do grapple, I do wrestling class, everything I can do, …Then I called my manager Ali [Abdelaziz] and I said to him, ‘Hey, I want to fight.’ He said, ‘But we said we’re injured,’ and I said, ‘I told you, take this fight.’ My manager and my brother said, ‘Are you crazy? You can’t fight like that,’ and they said no. [UFC] asked again, they called me again, ‘Will you fight with Merab?’ Of course
Umar Nurmagomedov further said
🚨Umar accidentally confirms he’s NOT healed from his arm fracture, YET he insisted on taking the fight against Merab Dvalishvili whilst injured
UFC has now taken down the exclusive interview they’ve had with Umar, likely due to his management not wanting it to be public. pic.twitter.com/2920sqE11E
— Kenny Okoye🇳🇬 (@TruthfulUfcFan) January 2, 2025
Is the No. 1-ranked UFC bantamweight pulling a Dan Hooker with his unfused bones and will to slug out? Per BetOnline.ag, Nurmagomedov opened a -220 heavy prop to still be undefeated after the UFC 311 PPV event. However, those odds could be in serious shifts after these reveals. Fans have reacted to it as such.
Fight fans react to Umar Nurmagomedov’s injury possibility
Topping the promotion’s first pay-per-view event of the year will be a 135-pound title match at UFC 311. Umar Nurmagomedov finally gets his crack at gold despite Merab Dvalishvili saying otherwise. The duo have had a handful of charged banters for it and are ready to go.
Fans react to Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Merab Dvalishvili being in jeopardy (Source: X)However, Nurmagomedov’s injury update does shed some doubt over it all. During his recent pre-fight check-ins, he voiced doubts that “The Machine” might pull out. Dvalishvili has been highly against this pairing after all. But now, fans on social media have legit cause to think the 135-pound title challenger might not make it to the scene. Here are a top few reactions to it:
Hope so, tryna see Umar get it done, it’ll be very competitive tho
— Kenny Okoye🇳🇬 (@TruthfulUfcFan) January 2, 2025
negative IQ
— polo (@vintage_polo22) January 2, 2025
All Rats, setting his excuse up now before Merab dogs him.
— Wolf Of Worcester 🇺🇸 (@Pimpdaddy311991) January 2, 2025
It’s very simple. He doesn’t think Merab is a KO threat and probably thinks he can still win with a minor injury.
Let’s be clear if this was serious he would not have taken the fight. Ali and team Khabib do not take risks like that. Which is smart btw.
— T (@TheTylerWest) January 2, 2025
I actually think they faked that injury so Merab would take the bait, but indeed they took it down so the commission does not cancell it, but 100% Umar is good. If you see DJ video Umar did not even has bandage for his “wound”
— Herr Scheldon P. (@herrscheldon) January 2, 2025
Second language I think he’s fine especially if he can grapple
— MMAislife (@otfervin) January 3, 2025
lol he’s setting up an excuse in case he looses
— ChillGuyMMA (@Vegeta9000_) January 2, 2025
considering Merab’s lifestyle, he probably has 5 cuts and fractures too.
— Oakword (@oakword) January 2, 2025
Some have termed it a ‘negative IQ’ move to hint at an injury before fight. However, some others have quipped that with his life choices, the explosive bundle that is Merab Dvalishvivli might be sporting some cuts and fractures of his own.
A Judo black belt/multiple-time sambo champ, the Georgian Dvalishvili is prone to execute pure chain attacks and lean-ins. He also outlanded Marlon Moraes by a total of 212 strikes at UFC 266; the largest differential in a single UFC/WEC bantamweight competition!
However, some bill that the Team AKA fighter still sees him as a scrambler and not a KO threat. Others have also claimed that he seemed fit in his latest camp training videos. All in all, this will remain a hot topic for now.
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