Jorge Masvidal outlines what Umar Nurmagomedov needs to do before potential Merab Dvalishvili title rematch

Jorge Masvidal recently shared his thoughts on a potential Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov title rematch and shared some advice for the latter. The UFC's former BMF champion claimed that Nurmagomedov needed to get some five-round fight experience and work on his endurance.

Nurmagomedov challenged Dvalishvili for the bantamweight throne at UFC 311 in January. While many thought the Dagestani fighter would push Dvalishvili to his limits, 'The Machine' cruised through five rounds and got his hand raised via unanimous decision.

Nurmagomedov redeemed his loss with a unanimous decision win over Mario Bautista at UFC 321 last weekend. In a recent interview, Masvidal shared his two cents on Nurmagomedov potentially getting another shot at Dvalishvili. Urging the Dagestani fighter to gain some championship rounds experience, he said:

"I want to see Umar fight for the belt again, but at the same time, if he fights for the belt and he’s not ready right now and goes 0-2, he’s not fighting for the belt anytime soon. So, do you wait with him a little bit more, let him get a little bit better, or do you put him right back in there again with who’s probably the all-time GOAT now at bantamweight?"

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He continued:

"I really have Merab up there with the all-time greats after beating Cory like that... Let Umar get his feet a little more experienced, get used to those five-round fights, because this fight with Mario wasn’t easy for him, and this was three rounds. So you don’t know what happens if he has to turn it up again in another five-round fight with Merab."

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Daniel Cormier names Umar Nurmagomedov as "one guy that can challenge" Merab Dvalishvili

Despite Umar Nurmagomedov losing to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311 earlier this year, Daniel Cormier believes the Dagestani fighter could be the only one to challenge the Georgian-born grappling maestro.

After Dvalishvili's dominant unanimous decision win over Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320 earlier this month, Cormier shared a video of his reaction (via @RedCorner_MMA on X) and claimed Nurmagomedov was among the few who could truly test 'The Machine' in the cage. He said:

"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."

Edited by Nishant Zende.