Khabib Nurmagomedov has laid out the plan for cousin Umar Nurmagomedov, who comes off a decisive victory over former two-time champion Deiveson Figueiredo on UFC’s inaugural show on Paramount+. As the second-ranked contender in UFC’s bantamweight rankings, Umar has a clear path to two major matchups, Khabib believes.
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One leads to a rematch with former champion Merab Dvalishvili, and the other to a bout with Sean O’Malley, who is back in the win column. Umar’s latest triumph comes roughly a year after Dvalishvili outscored him at his first title shot. Yet, despite the setback and the nine-month break that followed, Umar Nurmagomedov rediscovered his form to outpoint contender Mario Bautista, followed by the catchweight bout against Figueiredo. Encouraged by Umar’s latest run, Khabib believes his cousin could be ready for another shot at the belt, and he didn’t hold back when explaining why.
Khabib lays out high-stakes path for Umar Nurmagomedov
During a recent interview, the former lightweight champion outlined a potential plan for Umar, which involved him breaking into the bantamweight division’s top tier, currently occupied by champion Petr Yan, Merab Dvalishvili, the number-one-ranked contender, and O’Malley in third place.
“It was very important for us to become the top four: O’Malley, Merab, Yan, and Umar,” emphasized Khabib Nurmagomedov. Addressing the rankings, the former champion stressed that the division’s top contenders are limited, and Umar is firmly part of that elite group.
Explaining how the matchups could play out, he remarked, “If Yan is going to fight against Merab, Umar is going to fight Sean O’Malley. If Yan is going to fight O’Malley, Umar is going to fight Merab.” Umar himself appears to share that thinking and support O’Malley’s push toward Yan’s title.
Ahead of UFC 324, he told TNT Sports that he has less of a chance of being elevated to face Yan, though he hopes to become a champion in 2026. Echoing his cousin’s views, he said, “Maybe I will fight in the main event in Abu Dhabi in the summer with Yadong or with Sean O’Malley if they make the fight (between) Petr Yan and Merab. If O’Malley fights for the title next, it’s gonna be even better for me. I am gonna do a rematch with Merab.”
Umar’s comments seem to have been matched by Sean O’Malley‘s enthusiasm.
O’Malley leaves the door open for Umar fight
Fighting in the co-main of UFC 324, O’Malley scored a decision win over Yadong and immediately called out Yan, saying, “Championship mindset, baby!” He added, “Petr Yan has something that I want…you want that rematch, I want that belt, let’s make it happen. This feels so f-cking good. I hate losing.”
Before that bout, he said a matchup against Umar Nurmagomedov could be just as compelling. In an interview, O’Malley revealed that while he isn’t weighed down by the rankings, he’s fine if fans want to see him matched up against Petr Yan at the White House card. But he also appeared open to a fight with Umar. “If they (UFC) don’t, they want to see the trilogy with Merab, Umar gets a big win…I’m here for what the people want.”
Petr Yan, however, downplayed O’Malley’s callout, saying he will fight whomever UFC tells him to.
Part of the uncertainty surrounding the bantamweight top tier centers on Yan, who has spoken about a potential bout against Dvalishvili. The Georgian remains skeptical that they would feature on the much-discussed White House card. That keeps O’Malley firmly in the picture, with rivalries against both Yan and Dvalishvili.
What remains is how the UFC decides to schedule the bantamweight division’s most intriguing set of matchups.
