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Merab Dvalishvili's victory over Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 has sparked some controversy, with fans questioning the legitimacy of the win due to Nurmagomedov’s hand injury. Despite getting off to a strong start, Nurmagomedov ultimately lost via unanimous decision, with his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, later revealing that the fighter had broken his hand in Round 1.
In an exclusive interview with SportskeedaMMA, Dvalishvili’s coach, John Wood, dismissed the injury as a factor in the fight's outcome. Claiming that Nurmagomedov didn't show signs of being affected by the injury during the fight, he stated:
"A lot of times fighters break their hands and start shaking or maybe throwing things less [but] he was still engaged with everything so, uh, we had no clue of that happening. If he did break it in the first round, props to him for fighting through."
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Wood also hit back at fans who belittled the champion's win, saying:
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"That's MMA that's just like like I said people are going to find whatever. Guess what? Don't break your hand next time maybe, don't throw the punch so hard or don't throw it so shi**y, I don't know like wrap your hands better. Whatever it is, that's part of fighting."
He drew parallels to a similar situation in 2023, when Dvalishvili fought through a severely injured hand against Petr Yan, emphasizing that injuries are part of the sport.
Check out John Wood's comments below (4:40):
Merab Dvalishvili predicts Umar Nurmagomedov's future following UFC 311
Merab Dvalishvili, after defending his bantamweight title against Umar Nurmagomedov, predicts a bright future for the Dagestani fighter. Despite losing the title fight by unanimous decision, Nurmagomedov impressed early on but was overwhelmed by Dvalishvili’s relentless pace.
On The Ariel Helwani Show, Dvalishvili praised his opponent's potential, saying:
"[Nurmagomedov is] a good young fighter and I think he will be now in the top-5. And I'm sure he will continue winning streak and I am sure he will fight for the belt again. And he's young and I'm sure he's humbled now and he will continue good work."
Check out Merab Dvalishvili's comments below:
