Umar Nurmagomedov entered his first title fight at UFC 311 against reigning Bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili full of confidence. He gave it everything he had but was unable to get his hand raised, losing via unanimous decision. The defeat marked the first loss of his professional career.
In his post-fight Octagon interview, Nurmagomedov revealed that he had broken his hand in the early rounds of the fight. A few days later, he posted a picture of the injury. Now, he is preparing for a strong comeback, as new footage has emerged of him training at Khabib Nurmagomedov’s new facility.
Umar Nurmagomedov Begins Intense Training at Khabib Nurmagomedov’s New Facility
Khabib Nurmagomedov has continued his late father’s legacy by stepping into a coaching role following his retirement from the sport in 2020. He has built a new training facility in his native village of Sildi, located in the mountains of Dagestan. The facility now serves as a training ground for MMA stars such as Islam Makhachev, Usman Nurmagomedov, Umar Nurmagomedov, and other Dagestani teammates.
New footage from Khabib’s training facility has surfaced, showing Umar pushing himself hard in training as he prepares for a strong comeback.
Umar Nurmagomedov has already started training at their new facility — the grind never stops. 🦅🔥 pic.twitter.com/P9ytSnjsTF
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) May 27, 2025
It will be interesting to see who Umar faces in his return to the Octagon. Petr Yan has called out the “Young Eagle” for a potential showdown and expressed interest in facing him on the Abu Dhabi card or in Azerbaijan. Yan also stated that he wants the bout to be a five-round fight, believing it would serve as a title eliminator.
Umar Nurmagomedov’s Coach Explains How Merab Dvalishvili Stole the Momentum at UFC 311
Nurmagomedov’s coach, Javier Mendez, reflected on Umar’s loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311 during his podcast, “The Javier & Mo Show”. Mendez pointed out that the “Young Eagle” lost the fight because he was fatigued in the fifth round and credited Dvalishvili’s showboating as a key factor in swaying the judges.
“I told Umar, the reason why you didn’t win in the fifth round is because he [Merab] showboated his way to winning that—like he acted like the victor when you were tired—and that’s why I feel he basically took it from you, because you let him. When it comes to presence, he [Merab] definitely got that.”
Mendez expressed that the title challenger did more damage than “The Machine,” but the Georgian’s showboating caught the judges’ eyes and made him appear as the winner, which ultimately led to his victory.
“The actual damage that he did was nothing compared to what Umar did. He did show that, ‘I’m the winner, I’m the winner,’ and Umar couldn’t stop him from showing that. I can see how the judges get swayed by that.”
