Khabib's cousin surprises and aims to fight against former Brazilian champion in the UFC

Some behind the scenes at the UFC. Photo: Reproduction/Instagram/UFC

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Umar Nurmagomedov confirmed his favoritism at UFC 321, but surprised by projecting his next step in the octagon. Last Saturday (25), in Abu Dhabi (UAE), the Russian went through mario bautista by unanimous decision, recovering from the defeat suffered by Merab Dvalishvili, bantamweight champion (up to 61,2 kg), in January. Now, Khabib's cousin has come close to challenging for the title again, but has opened the door for another fight to take place.

Umar opened the doors to face Deiveson Figueiredo, in a possible elimination fight for the title. It is true that Khabib's cousin reinforced his interest in challenging the champion for a second time, especially if the Georgian defends the title against Petr yan, in December.

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However, since his performance at UFC 321 didn't convince part of the MMA community, the Russian made it clear that he sees no problem in having another fight to prove his quality and his worthiness to fight for the belt again. Since the Brazilian is coming off a victory and is ranked sixth in the rankings, Umar mentioned him as a target, as well as Aiemann Zahabi, which is riding on seven consecutive victories.

"Of course I'll be happy, I'll even be grateful. We'll see what happens. If the rematch doesn't happen before Ramadan, if the UFC gives me another fight, maybe Deiveson, Zahabi, or anyone else, I'll be happy to fight, because today, I've become a little better in the octagon. It's experience. You need to spend a lot of time in the octagon to feel at home, to feel confident, the arena, and the fans. I want to fight," said the fighter at the post-UFC 321 press conference.

Rise in the rankings

With the victory over mario bautista at UFC 321, Umar Nurmagomedov moved up a notch in the bantamweight rankings, becoming number one, leaving behind Sean O'Malley e Petr yan. Therefore, Khabib's cousin, a former title challenger in the division, is only below the champion Merab Dvalishvili.