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Umar Nurmagomedov To Face Sean O'Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili Winner, per Dana White

The UFC bantamweight contender has locked up a title shot.

Zain Bando

Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

According to UFC CEO Dana White, the UFC bantamweight title picture is crystal clear.

Although White was not in attendance at UFC Abu Dhabi Saturday, citing the responsibility of getting work done at UFC headquarters, he was able to catch the main event. In a highly technical fight, Umar Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) won a unanimous decision against former title challenger and long-time divisional mainstay Cory Sandhagen (17-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC).

White was impressed with Nurmagomedov’s performance. So much so that the division plans to move forward with him as the next title challenger, facing the winner of Sean O'Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili , which is scheduled for Sept. 14, and serves as the main event for the UFC 306 card in Las Vegas, Nev. 

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A timetable has not been set for the fight, as MMA journalist and veteran reporter Kevin Iole first reported the news shortly after the event.

O'Malley also caught wind of the fight and has a keen interest in fighting the winner as well. O'Malley was quick to comment on Nurmagomedov's performance and said that he would be willing to fight him for the belt just to bait former UFC double-champion Conor McGregor.

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"I might just go whoop Umar just for that reason alone," O'Malley said, relaying the fact that McGregor's shortcomings against Dagastani fighters may trigger him.

O'Malley's title defense against Dvalishvili would be his second since knocking out Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292 in Aug. 2023 and exacting revenge for his lone Octagon blemish, beating Marlon Vera at UFC 299 in March.

it remains to be seen how the future of 135 plays out, but it's clear that fresh matchups can finally move forward after years of being stagnant.

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Zain Bando
ZAIN BANDO

Zain Bando is a writer for MMA Knockout, part of the Sports Illustrated/Minute Media umbrella. He has covered combat sports since 2019 for notable outlets BJPenn.com and FanSided MMA. He also co-hosts a podcast called "The MMA Outsiders," part of the Empty The Bench Podcast Network, which airs Tuesday nights at 7:00 p.m. ET/4:00 p.m. PT. A Chicago suburban native, Bando has been enthralled with MMA since 2006 and has been fortunate to attend some of the most high-profile events in the sport's history, both as a fan and media member, including UFC 264, Bellator 297 and Kayla Harrison's PFL MMA debut. He is excited to take the next step in his combat sports writing journey and looks forward to continuing his following of the fight game for years to come. Bando can be reached via email at zainbando99@gmail.com or by social media @zainbando99

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