Khabib Reveals Opponent Preference For Umar Title Fight

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Umar Nurmagomedov is the real deal.

The Bantamweight division was on display at UFC Abu Dhabi this past weekend (Aug. 3, 2024). In the main event, highly touted undefeated 18-0 top prospect, Nurmagomedov, shed that label with a big unanimous decision win over the perennial contender, Cory Sandhagen.

Nurmagomedov, 28, expects his next time out to see him challenge for gold after his biggest win yet. Coaching in his corner on the night was the all-time great Lightweight, Khabib Nurmagomedov, who has a preference for which possible champion his protege could face.

“I want Merab [Dvalishvili], to be honest, because he’s from Georgia,” Nurmagomedov said in a UFC interview (h/t MMA Junkie). “We are neighbors, Dagestan and Georgia. I want Merab to win because it’s going to be a very interesting fight. White papakha vs. black papakha. But if [Sean] O’Malley wins, it’s going to be white papakha vs. pink papakha. It’s going to be good competition for O’Malley, a very good fight, high-level fight for all of the fans around the world.

“It’s not easy to beat Umar, and it’s not easy to beat Merab or Sean O’Malley,” he continued. “This is high level. Anything can happen, but in my opinion, Umar is ready. This fight put him one more level up, and we’ll see. He’s still growing, too. He’s still learning. He’s just 28 years old, and he’s still learning.”

The upcoming Bantamweight title tilt is set to headline Noche UFC when the champion, O'Malley, seeks defense No. 2 against Dvalishvili next month (Sat., Sept. 14, 2024).