"He’s a very hard challenge to prepare for" - Daniel Cormier backs Umar Nurmagomedov as Merab Dvalishvili’s toughest possible matchup

Merab Dvalishvili seems unbeatable at the moment. He is currently on a 14-fight win streak and has defended the bantamweight strap thrice since capturing it at Noche UFC 2024. Daniel Cormier believes Umar Nurmagomedov might be the only one who could challenge 'The Machine'.

Dvalishvili was last seen at this past weekend's UFC 320, where he secured a dominant unanimous decision win over Cory Sandhagen. The Georgian used his grappling to constantly pressure his opponent, effectively neutralizing 'Sandman's' chances to mount an offense on the feet.

Moreover, the champion nearly finished Sandhagen in the second round with a vicious barrage of punches. The reality now is that Dvalishvili has already run through most of the 135-pound elites, leaving him without a credible contender.

Cormier believes his teammate for the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) might be the only answer to 'The Machines' grappling-based style. Following the UFC 320 broadcast, the former two-division champion said:

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"I've got to tell you, I think Umar Nurmagomedov is probably the one guy that can challenge him. We saw their fight; it was 48-47 across the board. Everyone else cannot stay with him. It’s going to be very difficult for guys to figure out how to beat him because he’s just going to keep hitting them with takedowns. He’s a very hard challenge to prepare for."

Check out Daniel Cormier's comments on Merab Dvalishvili below:

Cormier's assessment might not be wrong. Nurmagomedov fared relatively well against the bantamweight kingpin at UFC 311, even winning a few of the initial rounds. Although he ultimately lost, the scorecards were 47-48 across the board.

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When Arman Tsarukyan explained why Umar Nurmagomedov lost to Merab Dvalishvili

After Umar Nurmagomedov's loss to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311, there were rumors that the Dagestani had suffered a hand injury early in the fight, which severely affected his performance.

However, Arman Tsarukyan believes it was fatigue and a lack of adequate experience facing top opposition that failed Nurmagomedov. During an appearance on the JAXXON PODCAST, Tsarukyan said:

"He never had tough fighters like Merab [before], so he did very good two rounds, and then he got tired. The hand [injury] and [being] tired are different, you know. He could kick, he could defend [but he got tired]."

Edited by Ujwal Jain