Islam Makhachev Discusses Whether Umar Nurmagomedov and Merab Dvalishvili Should Run It Back
Islam Makhachev recently weighed in on Umar Nurmagomedov’s future. Makhachev thinks Umar should run it back with Merab Dvalishvili. The two last fought at UFC 311, with ‘The Machine’ cruising to a unanimous decision win.
Although Umar landed better shots in the opening frame and stunned the Georgian fighter, in the championship rounds, Dvalishvili went on complete domination mode and secured the win with ease.
After the loss, Umar Nurmagomedov revealed that he broke his hand during the fight, which contributed to his subpar performance. Post-recovery, Umar made his return at UFC 321 and returned to winning ways against Mario Bautista.
In 2026, the 29-year-old will face Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 324.
Umar wants to fight for the title again once he gets past Figueiredo.
Islam Makhachev thinks Umar Nurmagomedov “can outplay” Merab Dvalishvili in Potential rematch
Recently, Islam Makhachev was asked [via Ushatayka] if Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov 2 would be more interesting than Umar vs. Petr Yan. Makhachev said:
“Honestly, I would be more interested in a fight against Merab because Umar lost his first fight; there were many reasons why. But what can we say about that now? I think Umar can do much better. I know he can outplay Merab. Umar is still young. He has time to get to the belt. But it would be good to close out the loss. I have one loss, and I’ve always had a chance in my head to close it out and get a rematch, and I know that’s no longer possible. But Umar has a good chance.”
Check out Islam Makhachev’s comments about Umar Nurmagomedov below:
Merab Dvalishvili was dethroned by Petr Yan at UFC 323. The two are expected to meet in a title match next year and complete their trilogy, which now stands at 1-1.
If Umar secures a win at UFC 324, he will most likely fight the winner of the potential Yan vs. Dvalishvili 3 bout. However, ‘The Machine’ has not shown any interest in fighting Umar again.
