Ex-Champ Dominick Cruz Clears Air on Umar Nurmagomedov's Title Shot at UFC 311

Dominick Cruz speaks on the narrative that Umar Nurmagomedov was 'fast-tracked' to a title fight vs. Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

A lot was made of Umar Nurmagomedov's first UFC title opportunity after beating one fighter in the Top 15 rankings.

Nurmagomedov called his shot after beating perennial contender Cory Sandhagen by decision back in August - a massive step up in competition, yes, but one the undefeated fighter passed with flying colors to extend his record to 18-0.

AND STILL UNDEFEATED! 🔥

Umar Nurmagomedov beats Cory Sandhagen in his first main event 👏#UFCAbuDhabi pic.twitter.com/4WCxaFxlZk

— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) August 3, 2024

Ranked #2 in the UFC Bantamweight division with the win, not everybody was a fan of Nurmagomedov getting a title shot, and that includes Merab Dvalishvili, who had to put together a 10-fight win streak before dethroning Sean O'Malley at UFC 306 to become the new champion in September.

Khabib Nurmagomedov Defends Umar after Merab Dvalishvili Calls UFC 311 Fight a "Gift"

Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov are set to meet in the co-main event of UFC 311 on Jan. 18, a little less than a month from now.

UFC Bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov. / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Dominick Cruz: "Nobody Wants To Fight" Umar Nurmagomedov

Cousin to the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov, was Umar "fast-tracked" to the title because of his last name? Not neccesarily, says two-time bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, who already recognizes the 28-year-old's championship caliber.

"They're the two best bantamweights in the world right now," Cruz said of Nurmagomedov's title fight vs. Dvalishvili (via ESPN MMA). "Easily. You cannot... I know people want to try to trash Umar because of whatever the amount of fights he's had. It's not [his fault]."

"It's matchmaking. It's hard to matchmake guys... A lot of people don't know him very well and you're not getting paid a lot to fight a champion, essentially because now you're going to fight a guy that's not ranked, and you're ranked number five right now. You're not going to get paid championship money, and that guy's a champion."

"It's like nobody wants to fight that guy," Cruz said of Nurmagomedov.

Umar Nurmagomedov has struggled not inside the Octagon but outside of it, trying to find opponents who are willing to sign the dotted line against him.

This year, the UFC signed a fighter from across the world, Kazakhstan's Bekzat Almakhan, to fight Nurmagomedov. Soon to follow was top contender Cory Sandhagen, one of the only fighters on the roster willing to share the cage with the undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov.

Rematch Reignites Rivalry.

[ #UFC311 | @IntuitDome ] pic.twitter.com/aXTZFfzAHd

— UFC (@ufc) December 12, 2024

While Nurmagomedov's road to gold may not have been as long or as hard as Dvalishvili's, the Dagestani looks to capitalize on the opportunity at UFC 311, where he could join Khabib, brother Usman, and longtime friend Islam Makhachev as a world champion.

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