Khabib has a clear idea of who he wants his cousin, Umar Nurmagomedov, to fight next.
Since retiring in 2020, Khabib has been coaching the next generation of Dagestani fighters to UFC success. With Islam Makhachev already holding the lightweight title, ‘The Eagle’ now hopes his cousin Umar will bring another belt to Dagestan. ‘Young Eagle’ is just a step away from making that happen.
Umar scored a decisive win over Cory Sandhagen at UFC Fight Night in Abu Dhabi, setting him up as a likely contender for the bantamweight title. He may face the winner of the Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili fight on September 14.
Khabib is confident that Umar will be ready for either O’Malley or Merab, but he specifically wants to see Umar face a tough challenge against Dvalishvili
“I want Merab to be honest, because he’s from Georgia,” Khabib said (as transcribed by MMA News). “[Dagestan and Georgia are] neighbors. I want Merab to win because it’s going to be a very interesting fight. White papakha vs. black papakha. But if O’Malley wins, it’s going to be white papakha vs. pink papakha. He’s going to be good competition for O’Malley. A very good fight, high-level fight for all of the fans all over the world. It’s not easy to beat Umar. And it’s not easy to beat Merab or Sean O’Malley. This is high level. Anything can happen, but in my opinion, Umar is ready.”
With his recent victory over Cory Sandhagen, Umar now boasts a perfect 6-0 record in the UFC and an overall 18-0 record since joining the promotion in 2021. He is widely regarded as one of the best bantamweights in the world.
Do you agree with Khabib Nurmagomedov?
