Javier Mendez, coach of Umar Nurmagomedov, believes that Merab Dvalishvili`s behavior during their fight contributed to Dvalishvili`s victory.
In January at UFC 311, Merab Dvalishvili successfully defended his title against Umar Nurmagomedov in a co-main event. Despite being the underdog, Dvalishvili outperformed Nurmagomedov over five rounds with his high energy and constant pressure. He won by unanimous decision with scores of 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46. After the fight, Nurmagomedov mentioned a hand injury in the first round as a factor in his performance. However, Javier Mendez, his coach, thinks there was another reason for the loss.
On his podcast, Javier Mendez said to Umar, “In my opinion, you won three of the five rounds. Perhaps I`m biased, but I believe the reason you lost the fifth round is because Dvalishvili showboated his way to victory. He acted like he was winning, and you were tired. I think he took the win because you allowed him to. But I felt you were the better fighter.”
Mendez continued, “Looking at the damage inflicted, Umar did more. But Merab projected himself as the winner, and Umar didn`t counter that. I can see how judges could be swayed by that perception.”
Statistically, the fight was very close, with Dvalishvili landing only seven more strikes. However, Dvalishvili also secured five more takedowns, although he attempted twice as many. Ultimately, Dvalishvili won the decision and is expected to face Sean O’Malley in a rematch at UFC 316 in June. Umar Nurmagomedov is rumored to be potentially fighting Petr Yan, but nothing has been officially announced.
