Umar Nurmagomedov gets win, what’s next?
Umar Nurmagomedov defeated Cory Sandhagen in the main event of UFC Abu Dhabi and proved to the world that he is who everyone thought he was: a legitimate contender to Sean O’Malley’s throne. So what’s next? Will Nurmagomedov get the shot at the title or will the UFC ask one more win of him? Let’s explore what could lie ahead.
Title shot next: Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Sean O’Malley
The obvious choice for defeating the second ranked bantamweight in the world would be to fight for the title. At the moment, Sean O’Malley is booked to face Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 306 in the sphere. That fight is far from a given for who can win. But regardless of the outcome, Umar Nurmagomedov should get the nod for the next shot.
If Sean O’Malley wins, we get a reiteration of Conor McGregor vs. Khabib Nurmagomedov. With the familial ties Umar has to Khabib and O’Malley’s similarities to McGregor both in and out of the cage, this fight would sell like hot cakes.
But if Merab Dvalishvili wins, which is a very good possibility, we would get a very fun, grapple-heavy matchup and test the depths of which Umar Nurmagomedov is willing to go.
Petr Yan: A interesting choice
Things happen. Should Sean O’Malley spark Merab Dvalishvili, anything is possible in a matchmaking sense. O’Malley could fight Ilia Topuria at 145. Or Alexandre Pantoja could come up and face O’Malley because he’s already cleaned out 125. Either way, this would leave Umar Nurmagomedov out in the cold. That’s why we need options. If Umar can defeat a former champion, he could increase his likelihood to get the title shot next regardless.
Petr Yan was once seen as the brightest champion in the UFC’s bantamweight division. Then he dropped fights, a lot of them. He lost his rematch to Aljamain Sterling, had a tough fight with O’Malley, and got ran through by Merab Dvalishvili. He finally got back in the win column by beating Yadong Song. Should he be who Umar fights next, having former champion Petr Yan on his resume would make his legacy that much deeper.
A sneaky option: Deiveson Figueiredo
Playing off the last scenario where Umar Nurmagomedov is left out to dry by a more tantalizing champ vs. champ matchup, Deiveson Figueiredo could fill that role of a win over a former champ. Figueiredo was the flyweight champion twice, the scariest man there for that matter. After losing his title once and for all to Brandon Moreno, Figueiredo moved north to bantamweight for an easier weight cut.
In that move, he’s beat Rob Font, former champion Cody Garbrandt and former title challenger Marlon “Chito” Vera. The Vera fight was on this past weekend’s card and Figueiredo got out rather unscathed. Figueiredo will now likely be in the top five with a win over fourth ranked Vera and second ranked Sandhagen losing. Perhaps even top three.
Beating a former champion, even if it is the former flyweight champion, would serve that same purpose for Umar Nurmagomedov.
In a perfect world, Umar Nurmagomedov fights for the title next. But the UFC has shown that not all things are perfect and their plans often differ from what should happen. It would be wise of Umar and his team to prepare for an alternate path to the title.
