Oh, a UFC event at The Sphere looked like a dream a few months back, but as UFC 306 inches closer, the excitement is rising. But what if we told you there is an issue? Not with The Sphere, but with the main event. We are just two weeks away from witnessing the b͏͏an͏tam͏we͏i͏ght͏ title cla͏sh be͏tween Sean O’Malley an͏d Mera͏b Dva͏lishvili– the main event. But it seems the promotion has failed in securing a b͏ack͏͏up fighter for t͏h͏is clas͏h ͏as a potential backup has made his call not to extend his services.͏

Ha͏͏ving a ͏b͏a͏ckup figh͏ter shou͏ld ͏͏be a ͏must for hi͏gh͏-͏͏inten͏s͏it͏͏y f͏͏ights.͏ ͏Da͏na W͏h͏͏ite͏ ͏experien͏ced thi͏s͏ firsth͏and ͏wh͏en he s͏ched͏ule͏d U͏F͏͏C ͏2͏94. Days before the PPV, the fights invo͏lving ͏Is͏lam Makhachev, Charles Ol͏iveira͏, Khamza͏t͏ C͏h͏imae͏v͏, and Pa͏ulo Costa wer͏e affe͏c͏ted du͏e ͏to͏ the s͏udden in͏ju͏ries to Oliveira and Costa. That’s not all, as the recent UFC Saudi Arabia Fight Night also had a last-minute replacement. One would assume these hiccups must have taught White a lesson about backup fighters, but it appears that the UFC CEO has not learned it.

The fight between Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili appears to be without a backup fighter as a potential contender. Umar Nurmagomedov has straight-out denied his participation in the event. How do we know? Well, a fan asked the bantamweight contender to become the backup fighter for the UFC Noche event to which the Dagestani replied with a single “Not.”

Why did the fan even make such a request in the first place? Well, you see, ahead of his bout against O’Malley, Dvalishvili took to his socials to announce that he sustained a minor injury near his eye. This statement by the 135 lbs title challenger caught the entire MMA community by surprise. White had to come forward to call out ‘Machine’ for his poor decision-making, as he leaked information about his own injury. More importantly, it raised the question of backup plans for the marquee event’s headliner bout.

That’s not all; even Daniel Cormier has asserted that Umar Nurmagomedov is not keen on becoming the backup fighter. “I was with Umar Nurmagomedov the other day. I go, why don’t you or why didn’t you just say that I’ll be the backup fighter for Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili? He goes, ‘Why would I be the backup fighter when I’m already the best in the world?’ That’s his thought, that’s his belief. So, he is not going to be the backup guy,” revealed Cormier on his YouTube handle.

Nurmagomedov ranks #2 in the bantamweight division and him as the backup would make complete sense. Now that he had refused his services, the UFC might have to look for a different fighter. So far, the promotion hasn’t announced any back for Sean O’Malley versus Mera͏b Dva͏lishvili.

The Russian star’s unwillingness to be the backup fighter raises a few questions. One of them is about the Noche UFC event itself. Is it not as attractive as many thought it would be? Ticket sales have hit a stalemate with reportedly around 3000 tickets still to be sold, even after prices were slashed.

Further, Nurmagomedov just fought at the beginning of August. So he is justified in not wanting to make a quick turnaround. However, this is a fight for the divisional title, against one of the most hyped stars of the promotion. It is the main event of arguably the most hyped and expensive show the UFC has ever put on. Still, ‘Young Eagle’ does not see it as attractive. Why do you think that is?

Umar Nurmagomedov has an impeccable record in his career; he has yet to lose any of his fights, or even a single round, for that matter. However, is he good enough to defeat the title shot contender or the champion? Tim Welch has some diverging thoughts on it.

Sean O’Malley’s coach finds holes in Umar Nurmagomedov’s fighting style

Umar Nurmagomedov was a different animal when he fought Cory Sandhagen. The Dagestani took the striker to a wrestling mania as he defeated him by way of a unanimous decision. After the victory, Nurmagomedov jumped multiple ranks to become the #2 ranked bantamweight fighter on the UFC roster. Interestingly, his performance has impressed Sean O’Malley’s longtime coach Tim Welch, but according to him, he can find some loopholes in his techniques.

While having a conversation with ‘Red Corner MMA’, Welch said, “Yeah, Umar Nurmagomedov is a serious problem. I mean, he is a serious problem for anyone. He’s very athletic. And he not only can — all those guys can grapple, like freaks. They’re just so freakishly strong. Their wrestling is so good. And he’s not only just relying on his wrestling.” 

He further added, “He’s a very good striker, too. He’s got very versatile kicks. He’s southpaw. He can throw a question mark with his lead leg. He can throw teeps. He’s a very dangerous, dangerous fight because he can win the fight anywhere. But I do still see holes. And I still do see ways Sean can frustrate him, and be faster than him, and knock him out also.”

Now, that’s a bold statement considering the Dagestani never lost a fight. But if he and O’Malley were to ever fight, it would probably be a Conor McGregor versus Khabib Nurmagomedov 2.0. Now that’s something MMA fans would want to see.

However, with Nurmagomedov not wanting to be a backup for the upcoming UFC event, we might have to see what the future holds for him. What do you think?