Khamzat Chimaev drops Confident Take on Umar Nurmagomedov Despite Shocking Loss

Umar Nurmagomedov was heavily hyped as the next big thing in the UFC. That buzz was pegged back momentarily following his defeat against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311.

However, as he went in to fight Song Yadong, the Dagestani fighter walked in as the favorite. Unfortunately, things panned out very differently as Nurmagomedov suffered a knockout loss. While most critics have written off Nurmagomedov as of now, Khamzat Chimaev believes that the Dagestani star will come back stronger. 

Khamzat Chimaev backing Umar Nurmagomedov to Make Strong Comeback

In a recent interaction, Chimaev put forth his honest thoughts about what he thought Nurmagomedov’s future will look like in the UFC. Surely, getting knocked out in the second round is a brutal way to lose a fight. Especially when he was aiming to get into the championship scenario. But per Chimaev, Nurmagomedov is a tough person and knows very well how to handle failure. 

The Russian-Emirati fighter said, “Unfortunately, Umar lost, but I believe he will come back even stronger. He has a lot of experience and has been doing this since childhood. In our sport, anything can happen."

Chimaev might have a point here. Following his loss to Dvalishvili, Nurmagomedov made a steady recovery. He fought Mario Bautista and Deiveson Figueiredo to register back-to-back wins. Moreover, before fighting Merab, Dagestani was undefeated in the UFC. Meanwhile, Henry Cejudo, too, thought that Umar's loss was a fluke. 

Henry Cejudo Joined Khamzat Chimaev to Back Umar Nurmagomedov

Yadong’s thundering knockout shocked the UFC realm. Following the loss, a lot of critics pointed out how Nurmagomedov has a weakness in defending striking. But according to former UFC champion Cejudo, it was just a one-off moment for the Dagestani. 

Speaking on the ‘Pound 4 Pound’ podcast, Cejudo said, “He just got caught, bro. This is just a game of getting caught. I think nine out of ten times Umar gets it done and whatever he wants to in my opinion.” 

At the moment, there is no official confirmation on when Umar will fight next.