Despite his undefeated record and rising status in the UFC, Umar Nurmagomedov’s caliber is being questioned by a former world champion. While Nurmagomedov is next in line for a shot at the bantamweight title, this former Strikeforce champion isn’t fully convinced of his prowess.
Jake Shields acknowledges that Nurmagomedov is a “great fighter” but points out that his opponents so far haven’t been as tough as those faced by other top contenders. As the anticipation builds for Nurmagomedov’s potential title fight, some are wondering if he’s truly been tested enough in the octagon to claim the belt.
Shields recently joined Tim Welch for an interview on his YouTube channel, where the duo spoke about Sean O’Malley’s return and potentially facing the winner of Nurmagomedov vs Dvalishvili. In response, Shields questioned Nurmagomedov’s record saying,
“Yeah that is what it seems like. That’s what I thought would have been great too. He had a good point in Umar, he is a great fighter, but he hasn’t fought tough competition. But it seems like that is the fight that is going to happen now. There is a good chance O’Malley will fight the winner.”
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‘Suga’ is currently undergoing surgery and will be out of action for a few months. He aims to take on the winner of Dvalishvili vs Nurmagomedov once he is fit.
Meanwhile, newly crowned champion Merab Dvalishvili himself is not too keen on taking on Nurmagomedov as he feels the same as Shields. The champion would rather take on already established names such as Deiveson Figueiredo as his first title defense.
Merab aims for a ‘tougher opponent’ than Umar
‘The Machine’ is ready to face whoever the UFC puts in front of him, but he’s got his eyes set on one opponent—former flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo.
Fresh off his dominant win over O’Malley to claim the bantamweight title at UFC 306, Dvalishvili made it clear he prefers a matchup with Figueiredo, saying it would be his fifth former champion in a row.
However, Dvalishvili isn’t shying away from other options. When asked about a potential fight with undefeated contender Umar Nurmagomedov, Dvalishvili didn’t back down. “Bring it here, bro!” he told Daniel Cormier.
While Nurmagomedov is seen as a future star at 18-0, Dvalishvili believes Figueiredo, who’s 3-0 at bantamweight, is the more dangerous and exciting challenge. “He excites me more,” Dvalishvili said.
“But I fight the best of the best. You think I’m scared or choosing my opponent? No.”
Meanwhile, O’Malley has already told Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov to settle the scores before he returns to action as when he does, he wants to go straight for whoever hold UFC gold.
