UFC bantamweight Aiemann Zahabi has predicted that Umar Nurmagomedov may struggle in a possible clash against Merab Dvalishvili. It seems like the reigning bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili's likeliest options for his first title defense are either Sean O'Malley or Nurmagomedov.
Zahabi has one of the longest winning streaks out of any bantamweight in the promotion today. He's also one of the more cerebral and analytical fighters, making him a perfect fit to pontificate on how a possible Dvalishvili vs. Nurmagomedov fight might play out.
Speaking on MMA Canada, Zahabi fielded several subjects ahead of his fight at UFC Edmonton on Nov. 2 against divisional stalwart Pedro Munhoz.
When discussing the mental toughness of Dvalishvili and comparing the mental strength seen in Nurmagomedov's last fight vs. Cory Sandhagen in the context of how that mental strength could come into play if the Georgian fights Nurmagomedov, Zahabi said:
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"Did you watch the fight against Umar versus Cory Sandhagen? One thing that I found about that fight was after round one, he looked kind of nervous, Umar. Listen I don't know but I'm just saying from what it appeared to. But Khabib did such a good job of being in his corner and telling him 'it's fine. You're gonna take him down again.'"
"Because when he first stepped out, Cory did a super good job of like rolling, granbying, you know, defending the wrestling well. Umar didn't just dominate him on the ground. It almost looked like Umar wasn't expecting Cory to be able to defend that well. He kind of looked shell-shocked a bit."
Check out Aiemann Zahabi's analysis for a potential Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov clash below [14:01]:
Umar Nurmagomedov and how the Cory Sandhagen fight played out
Umar Nurmagomedov did experience a level of difficulty from Cory Sandhagen with his usual brand of Dagestani wrestling resulting in minimal resistance from prior opponents of the unbeaten Russian.
The 28-year-old responded well to this relative adversity and with the guidance of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, the surging Umar pressed onward. When all was said and done, Umar had done enough to secure a unanimous decision victory over Cory Sandhagen during their Aug. 3 UFC Fight Night main event.
The now 18-0 professional mixed martial artist is waiting in the wings for his next assignment. As the No. 2 contender of the division, the only contender above him is former champion Sean O'Malley. It remains to be seen who wins the Dvalishvili sweepstakes but both contenders have strong cases for a title shot.