By the end of the second round of his title fight against Merab Dvalishvili, most thought that Umar Nurmagomedov was well on his way to becoming the new 135lbs champion. After all, the Dagestani had started their UFC 311 co-main event clash remarkably well, winning those rounds on two judges’ scorecards. However, the script flipped in the third!

The Georgian proved why he was the champion and dominated the last three rounds. This (complemented with some showboating) was enough to secure him a unanimous decision victory. Turns out, there was a very good reason why Umar faded out in the latter rounds. The Dagestani had broken his hand in the first round. Khabib’s cousin, however, bravely kept going warning him a lot of respect from fans. Naturally many have been curious about the Dagestani bantamweight’s return to the Octagon.

And Umar has finally broken his silence on the subject and revealed his next planned moves. “There is no doubt that I will come back stronger. I accept predestination with a smile and contentment. Alhamdulillah. The Almighty gave me victory 18 times and only tested me with defeat once. So this is good for me. I’m getting ready to return to the octagon in the summer. Thank you very much everyone for your kind words and support I didn’t mean to upset you,” Nurmagomedov wrote in his native Russian on Instagram.

With Umar targeting a June return, it’s clear he won’t be stepping into the Octagon before then. However, he appears to be handling his recent loss well, staying focused and determined to climb back into title contention. Going five hard rounds against the best bantamweight in the world is no small feat—it takes a truly special fighter.

At just 29 years old, the Dagestani standout still has plenty of time to make another run at the 135-pound gold, and it seems almost inevitable that he will. But the bigger question remains—who will Umar face next?

Who are Umar Nurmagomedov’s likely opponents for his next outing?

Despite the circumstances of his loss, Umar will have to beat at least a couple of top contenders to get back into the title picture. And who could these be? Well, almost all the top-ten ranked 135-pounders are almost all veterans, except the odd and the up-and-coming young guy.

In the latter camp are well-known names like Sean O’Malley, Petr Yan, Deiveson Figueiredo, Henry Cejudo, and Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera. And the Dagestani, who was fast-tracked to the title, has not fought any of them. So a clash against one of these guys to prove that Nurmagomedov has what it takes to beat a wily vet may be in order.

Then there is the young and hungry lion, #8 ranked Song Yadong, whom Umar was in talks to fight late last year. Since Yadong is set to fight Henry Cejudo this weekend, it seems likely the winner of that fight is next for Umar. What do you think about Umar Nurmagomedov’s revelations about his comeback?