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Umar Nurmagomedov Reveals Injury Kept Him From January UFC Fight

'I'm open to any offers,' Nurmagomedov recovers from an injury.

Mathew Riddle

UFC

Top bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov has revealed an arm injury kept him from being booked for a January 2025 fight.

Nurmagomedov is expected to be Merab Dvalishvili's first title defense, especially with Sean O'Malley sidelined, but now fans might have to wait a little longer.

Taking to X on November 30, Nurmagomedov explained that a "small arm fracture" meant he "couldn't perform in January", and now he's open to fight offers once again.

The undefeated Dagestani talent has been hot on the tails of Dvalishvili, crafting a narrative that 'The Machine' is ducking him. Though, Dvalishvili's teammate, Aljamain Sterling, believes Dvalishvili is denying Nurmagomedov the fight on purpose as a matter of principle, since he only has one ranked win.

Dvalishvili's road to the title was an arduous 11-fight streak, with wins over three former UFC champions. An argument could have been made for the Georgian fighter to have his title shot two or three fights earlier, but he was consistently leapfrogged by fan-favorites such as TJ Dillashaw, Henry Cejudo, and Sean O'Malley.

Still, Dvalishvili's options are quite limited, with a majority of the top ten coming off of losses, or being rematches like Petr Yan. Nurmagomedov may be the only option when it comes down to it.

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Mathew Riddle
MATHEW RIDDLE

Mathew is a UK-based combat sports journalist, graphic designer, and SEO expert with over five years of experience in digital marketing and a dedicated four-year track record in MMA journalism. He joined MMAKO in 2023. Mathew's insights have been featured on The Fight Fanatic, Heavy on UFC, Fansided, and Sportskeeda. Reach him at mr@thefightfanatic.com.

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