The previously-undefeated fighter went under the knife yesterday in Dubai to surgically repair his broken hand. Now, he’s showing off the result.
To be a Nurmagomedov in combat sports, you have to be the best. You have to do everything big. Even when you break a hand mid-fight, it better be legendary.
And that’s what Umar Nurmagomedov did at UFC 311 in a losing effort to Bantamweight champion, Merab Dvalishvili, earlier this month (Jan. 18, 2025) in Los Angeles, California.
Indeed, Nurmagomedov — a decent-sized betting favorite — lost his 135-pound title shot against “The Machine,” with the judges scoring it 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46 for Dvalishvili. Early on in the fight, Nurmagomedov saw a lot of success, but as the bout wore on, the Dagestani seemed to tire … and Dvalishvili turned up the pace.
Following the defeat, Nurmagomedov revealed he’d broken his hand early in the fight — and believes even with that injury he still did enough to win.
We’re not surprised to hear the cope, but let’s be real: Dvalishvili bullied Nurmagomedov for the last three rounds, and there wasn’t anything controversial about the decision. The hand injury? A legitimate excuse, one that we’re sure will play a big part in the fight narrative should Merab and Umar fight again.
But, something that happens often in cage fights.
@UNmgdv pic.twitter.com/IAh8kAu5ab
— Ali Abdelaziz (@AliAbdelaziz00) January 23, 2025
That’s not to say we aren’t impressed at Umar’s toughness after seeing multiple pictures of his swollen fist. And now you can take a look at just how serious the break was based on the hardware Dubai surgeons had to put in Umar’s hand to fix things up.
X-rays shared by Nurmagomedov following surgery show a two-inch screw running through the entire length of his metacarpal bone below the index finger.
According to Team Khabib manager, Rizvan Magomedov, they identified the exact moment the break happened: in the middle of round two, off an Umar punch to Dvalishvili’s head. According to Nurmagomedov’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, the hope is Umar will return to action in mid- to late-summer.
The loss to Dvalishvili drops Nurmagomedov’s otherwise flawless record to 18-1.
For complete UFC 311 results, coverage and highlights click HERE.