Umar Nurmagomedov lost for the first time in his professional career on Saturday night to Merab Dvalishvili in his first attempt at a title shot at UFC 311. With this, he has become the first of the Nurmagomedovs (Khabib, Usman, and Umar) to lose in professional mixed martial arts. Khabib retired undefeated at 29-0, while PFL lightweight champion Usman remains undefeated at 18-0.
The fight between Umar and Merab at UFC 311 was a high-energy clash, with both fighters showcasing impressive skills and relentless determination.
It seemed slightly slow in the beginning as both the men kept their distance from each other, testing the waters early. But soon, Umar landed a clean shot and a sharp left, while Merab responded with a powerful right and a leg kick and the fight changed gears almost immediately.
Merab’s pressure led to some exchanges, but Umar’s takedown defense was on point. A rocking shot from Umar closed out the first round with a bang.
AND STILL #UFC311
Merab Dvalishvili ends Umar Nurmagomedov’s unbeaten run and defends his belt! pic.twitter.com/sUqDdinHNq
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) January 19, 2025
In the second, Nurmagomedov took control while Merab pressed forward. Umar landed some solid punches and even reversed a takedown to take Merab’s back briefly. Merab, as always, refused to stay down, and the action remained competitive.
By the end of the round, a cut had opened on Merab’s left eye. But Merab came out firing in the championship rounds, pushing the pace with relentless takedown attempts.
Umar’s striking was sharp, but his pace slowed as Merab’s pressure didn’t let up. Despite Umar’s strong takedown defense, Merab’s pace started to wear on him.
By the final round, both fighters were visibly tired. But Merab’s greater experience of five-round fights eventually proved to be the difference between the two.
Merab wasn’t even at 100%
To quote Joe Rogan, “Merab is a force of will unlike anything else.” The bantamweight champion was ridiculed mercilessly in the lead-up to the fight by fans and followers who believed he was too scared to fight Umar. However, Merab believes that Umar only got the title shot due to his last name.
He had even asserted that a win over him would be a win over the Nurmagomedov clan. On Saturday, he did exactly that. And it turns out he wasn’t even completely fighting going into the fight.
Merab was struggling with an infection in his leg and a bad back. However, when he learned that the UFC really needed him to step up and defend his belt, he could not say no.
Merab stated that everything he has right now is because of the UFC and everything they have done for him. Therefore, there is no way he could say no to Dana White and his team.
During the course of this title defense, he also beat Georges St-Pierre’s record for the most takedowns in UFC history at 91.
