Outside Source
Nurmagomedov (18-1) suffered his first professional loss in a failed title bid against Dvalishvili at UFC 311 earlier this year. Nurmagomedov’s teammate, Makhachev, wants him to avenge his loss against Dvalishvili. Makhachev is more interested in Nurmagomedov rematching Dvalishvili than fighting for the belt. Makhachev believes Nurmagomedov is young and has ample time to reach UFC gold. Makhachev still craves a chance to avenge the lone loss on his resume and doesn’t want Nurmagomedov to feel the same.
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Leave No Regrets
“Honestly, I’d be more interested in a fight against Merab,” Makhachev told Ushatayka (via Red Corner MMA). “Because Umar lost the first fight, there were many reasons why… 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’m always thinking, if only I had a chance to close it out, have a rematch. And I know that’s no longer possible. But Umar has a good chance now.”
Makhachev (28-1) suffered his only professional loss via knockout against Adriano Martins in his sophomore UFC outing in 2015. While Martins left the UFC soon after, Makhachev went on to win two UFC titles. Martins has won only once since his victory over Makhachev. While Martins is still active on the regional circuit, a rematch against the reigning UFC welterweight champion seems unlikely.
🎙️🥺 “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.”
Islam Makhachev believes Umar should be given a rematch with Merab, drawing parallels to the moment he sought… pic.twitter.com/FFBsVlVnQU
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) December 28, 2025
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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