Umar Nurmagomedov suffered his first defeat in a fight with Dvalishvili
29-year-old mixed martial artist from Dagestan Umar Nurmagomedov lost on points to Georgian UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili in a fight yesterday in Los Angeles. The judges' decision was unanimous (48:47, 49:46, 48:47). The fight, which lasted only five rounds, became resonant: it was the first belt defense in Merab's career and the first defeat for Umar.
Dvalishvili now has 19 wins and four losses. Nurmagomedov's statistics are 18-1.
"You know that I always train, I'm a machine. When I took this fight, I had a shin injury, a big cut and infection, I took the fight on a six-week notice. My leg was constantly hurting, plus I had lower back pain.
Umar is a tough fighter, he is good. He called me old, yes, I am old, but I work hard every day, and I am an old school man. I believe in the old school. Don't let anyone bully you or underestimate you. The whole world was against me, but I don't care, I believed in myself and believed in hard work. I am from a village, I worked in construction, and Umar trained all his life. Yes, Abdulmanap is great, but I believed in myself. I can finish my career today, I can die and I will die happy. I love my country, Georgia, and thank you, America! " - Dvalishvili commented on his victory.
Today, another important sporting event took place in Los Angeles. Another Dagestani fighter, Islam Makhachev, defended his champion belt for the fourth time. He defeated Brazilian Renato Moicano in the main event of UFC 311. The fight ended in the first round when Makhachev performed a choke.
