Before UFC 311, Umar Nurmagomedov feels no pressure to live up to family
LOS ANGELES – Umar Nurmagomedov will look to add another major title to his team at UFC 311.
Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) challenges bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC) in Saturday’s co-main event (pay-per-view, ESPNews/Disney+, ESPN+) at Intuit Dome. With his cousin, UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov, having paved the way, Umar is ready to realize his potential at UFC 311.
“I’m here long time, I’m with them, and we know who we are,” Nurmagomedov said Wednesday at UFC 311 media day. “We know how we’re ready. I don’t feel pressure.”
His teammate, UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, headlines the event when he rematches Arman Tsarukyan. His brother, Bellator champion Usman Nurmagomedov, defends his title one week later against Paul Hughes in the PFL Champions Series: Road to Dubai main event.
It’s a busy two weeks for the team, but Nurmagomedov is confident it will be a memorable one.
“It’s going to be good legacy for us,” Nurmagomedov said. “When we will become older, we’re going to tell our kids do you know your father was fighting for the title? Our team was great. It’s awesome. I think we’re going to be – our family, our team, going to be like Gracie. Everybody will know what we did in MMA.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.