Umar Nurmagomedov‘s hype was undeniable. The nigh unstoppable scion of the Nurmagomedov clan looked poised to take on the best. Then came UFC 311, where Merab Dvalishvili handed him his very first loss. Now with an 18-1 record, his dreams of chasing Khabib’s 29-0 have ended. He also lost his first opportunity to become a UFC champion. It was a tough one to swallow… But Islam Makhachev, who defended his title the same night, has something to say about his friend’s loss.

During a backstage interview at UFC 311, Makhachev spoke about his win and also his team, which includes. Nurmagomedov. He stated, as reported by UFC on YouTube:

“I have the best team in the world. That’s why we have all the success… Today, Umar, it’s not Umar day because you know, he is young. He is young, did lot of mistakes but still, he is looking very good. He don’t have damage in his face. Merab like take him down a couple of times, I don’t want to, I respect Merab, he did his job very well. But Umar looking good also in this fight.

“And he is still young. His time is coming. I know 100% he going to work more. He not like ready for this fight because you know he come from the injury but when UFC call him and give him the opportunity to fight for the title, he say yes. But a little bit we did mistake, but experience (is what matters).”

Makhachev is correct. Umar Nurmagomedov is just 29 and will perhaps have more opportunities to grab the title in the future. But for now, he might have to go back and analyze where he went wrong.

Despite the setback, the lightweight champion was quick to underline that Nurmagomedov’s potential remains intact, confirming that there shall not be even the slightest deviation on the clan’s path to absolute dominance. Though the respect for Merab Dvalishvili’s performance was clear, Makhachev paints us a picture where the fight is so much more than a win/loss. Umar Nurmagomedov’s performance, even in defeat, had valuable takeaways.

“Some days we win, some days we lose. All from God,” Makhachev stated.

Top Comment by Donald Abell

Yes Umar needs to become his own fighter. It is good to be tutored by Khabib but he needs to...more

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In a sport where staying relevant is critical, decisions are made under pressure. For contenders like ‘Young Eagle’, the dilemma is whether to take a fight when it presents itself, or risk fading into the background, especially when a title shot is on the line. But what does he have to say about his first MMA loss?

No excuses: Umar Nurmagomedov promises to come back stronger!

Hours after his unanimous decision loss to Dvalishvili [48-47, 48-47 and 49-46], Nurmagomedov took to Instagram to share his thoughts. He wrote: “There are no excuses. InshaAllah i will become the champion The rest is not important. Praise Allah in any situation.

“And I don’t think I’ve lost this battle. If even the whole world will convince me otherwise. Deal with the injuries and get back on track InshaAllah.”

For the Dagestani team, this could be a turning point. Will they become more patient with their fighters’ development, understanding that rushing them isn’t always the key to success? However, this mistake has made the godly Team Khabib more human than ever. Regardless, it will be interesting to see Nurmagomedov return to the octagon with a bang.

Names like Petr Yan and Deiveson Figueiredo come to mind for his next fight. But before anything, the Danestani needs to recover from his broken hand. As per reports, the fighter suffered a broken hand in the opening round of his fight against Merab Dvalishvili, which eventually affected the outcome.

Who do you think Nurmagomedov should fight next? Let us know in the comments below.