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Javier Mendez, Umar Nurmagomedov's head coach, revealed that he would have altered the game plan for the fight against Merab Dvalishvili if the 29-year-old had informed him about his hand injury.
Nurmagomedov, who lost his undefeated streak to Dvalishvili at UFC 311, disclosed in his post-fight interview that he broke his left hand after the first round. Despite looking strong in the initial two rounds, the Dagestan native was outclassed by 'The Machine' in the last three rounds.
Mendez, who also heads the American Kickboxing Academy (A.K.A), said he would have instructed 'The Young Eagle' to throw more kicks if he had known about the hand injury. Speaking to Submission Radio, Mendez claimed that by concealing his injury, Nurmagomedov demonstrated his warrior spirit:
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"If (Umar) told me he broke his hand, I would have changed the game plan. Umar didn't tell us. That just shows you the kind of warrior he is. I would have had him kick more"
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Check out Javier Mendez's comments below:
"He will fight for the belt again"- Merab Dvalishvili says Umar Nurmagomedov will work his way back up towards title contention
UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili recently reflected on his title defense against Umar Nurmagomedov. The Georgian fighter, who impressed fans worldwide with his remarkable comeback after being down in the first two rounds, predicted that Nurmagomedov would gain valuable experience from the championship bout and be humbled by it.
During his appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Dvalishvili praised Nurmagomedov for his skills and potential. He asserted that despite the loss, Nurmagomedov is still young and will soon be back in title contention:
"[Umar 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 on Umar Nurmagomedov's future below:
