UFC 311 blew the the roof off Intuit Dome this past weekend (Sat., Jan. 18, 2025) in Los Angeles, Calif., leaving several fighters feeling the post-fight blues. Among them was Kevin Holland, who suffered his second straight defeat after getting choked out be Reinier de Ridder in the first round (see it again here).
And Renato Moicano, who was choked out in short order by Islam Makhachev after agreeing to step into the Lightweight pay-per-view (PPV) main event title fight on super short notice to replace the injured Arman Tsarukyan (see it here). But, which fighter is suffering from the worst post-fight hangover, now a few days removed from the show?
Coming into his first-ever title fight against Bantamweight champion, Merab Dvalishvili, Nurmagomedov was the the favorite to upset the champion. After all, Nurmagomedov was perfect (18-0), including winning his first six fights inside the Octagon prior to the 155-pound title fight.
Things started of well enough for Umar, who used his great striking and speed to win the first two rounds rather easily. Furthermore, he did a great job to not allow Dvalishvili’s pressure thwart his own offensive.
But, that didn’t last too long.
Indeed, Dvalishvili flipped the switch in the final three rounds and put his foot on the gas pedal and never let up. His cardio was his most useful tool because he never stopped coming forward and didn’t let his foe breathe for one second. He scored one takedown after another (beating George St-Pierre’s longstanding record in the process), and made Nurmagomedov gasp for air. He simply took it from the challenger and never looked back to win the final three rounds and retain his title.
And he did it severely compromised.
After the fight, Nurmagomedov revealed that he had broken his hand, which could have played a part in his lack of offense in the championship rounds. Furthermore, he wasn’t too pleased with the scorecards (see them here).
“There are no excuses,” Nurmagomedov said. “InshaAllah I will become the champion. The rest is not important. Praise Allah in any situation. And I don’t think I’ve lost this battle even if the whole world will convince me otherwise. Deal with the injuries and get back on track. InshaAllah.”
As far as what could be next for Umar, a showdown against former champion, Sean O’ Malley, could be on the horizon.
“Suga” is also coming off a loss to Dvalishvili, coughing up his strap to the Georgian at UFC 306 back in Sept. 2024. O’Malley is currently ranked No. 1 in the division and he won’t be getting a chance to avenge his loss to “The Machine” without getting another win under his belt. For Nurmagomedov, defeating O’Malley would be a huge step in getting him back into the title picture sooner rather than later.
For complete UFC 311 results, coverage and highlights click HERE.