Umar Nurmagomedov Reveals How Close The Heel Hook Was at UFC 321: “I need to stop”
Umar Nurmagomedov was never really concerned about getting heel-hooked by Mario Bautista.
The one-time bantamweight title challenger bounced back with a big win at UFC 321, defeating Bautista via unanimous decision as part of the evening’s stacked main card in Abu Dhabi. While it was a fairly dominant performance from Nurmagomedov, the Dagestani faced a bit of adversity when Bautista came dangerously close to locking in a heel hook during one of their many grappling exchanges.
However, according to Nurmagomedov, he was never in any real danger.
“When he went for my heel, I didn’t even worry,” Nurmagomedov said during his post-fight interview. “That’s a position in the gym where people try it all the time—I always escape from it. It’s not pure jiu-jitsu, it’s not grappling, because in MMA, when you try to grab a leg, you’re getting punched. It makes it so much harder to attack the leg like that.
“He didn’t even pull, and I’ve got good flexibility, so I always could get out. The knee—that’s more of a habit I need to get rid of. I need to stop ducking down, and start stepping back instead.”
The win got Nurmagomedov back into the win column, but more importantly, it moved him to the top spot in the bantamweight rankings, setting the stage for a potential rematch with reigning 135-pound champion Merab Dvalishvili.
But first, Dvalishvili will put his gold on the line for a record-breaking fourth time in 2025 when he meets Petr Yan at UFC 323 on December 6.
Primed to face the winner of that fight, Nurmagomedov will likely have a close eye on the year’s final pay-per-view headliner.
