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Umar Nurmagomedov believes that Aljamain Sterling is not a deserving UFC bantamweight champion. According to the 25-year-old Dagestani, Sterling had the belt handed to him thanks to a mistake from Petr Yan.
Yan and Sterling met inside the octagon for the bantamweight title at UFC 260 in March this year. In the fourth round of their exciting clash, Yan landed an illegal knee to Sterling's head. 'The Funk Master' found himself unable to continue fighting, and the referee declared him the winner via disqualification.
Speaking to RT Sport MMA about Sterling's legitimacy as the UFC bantamweight champion, Umar Nurmagomedov said:
"If you're asking whether he deserves the belt? No. He didn't win that belt. Petr made a mistake and he [Sterling] was given it." (Transcription courtesy: RT Sport MMA).
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Umar Nurmagomedov, who made his UFC debut back in January 2021, is considered one of the most promising prospects in the bantamweight division.
Umar Nurmagomedov has his eyes set on the bantamweight title
Umar Nurmagomedov further reflected on his relationship with both Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan. The Dagestani said he doesn't share a special bond with either of them and would be willing to challenge both fighters for the belt.
The 25-year-old also added that he was rooting for Yan over Sterling since he was the only fighter from Russia to hold a UFC title back then.
"I don't have the mindset that Sterling is the man and Petr is a bad guy or the other way around. They are both potential opponents. I'm ready to fight them both for the title. There's no special relationship with either of them. I was rooting for Petr because Khabib retired and he was the only Russian champ, and I was hoping our country would retain it. But we've got good prospects at 135lbs and 155lbs, so I hope we'll get some belts," said Nurmagomedov.
Umar Nurmagomedov is currently 1-0 in the UFC. His first promotional fight against Sergey Mozorov culminated in a dominant submission win for the Dagestani. Considering his lack of fighting experience, it will only be fair to assume that Nurmagomedov stands far off from a title shot as of now.
