Mendez Defends Umar’s UFC 311 Title Shot
Before Umar Nurmagomedov’s January 2025 bantamweight title fight with Merab Dvalishvili, coach Javier Mendez disputed Dvalishvili’s criticism of the matchup. Mendez said the promotion had told Nurmagomedov and Cory Sandhagen that the winner of their August 2024 bout would get the next title opportunity, as BJPenn reported from Mendez’s interview with Hablemos MMA.
Why Mendez defended the matchup
Dvalishvili had argued that Sandhagen was the only notable opponent Nurmagomedov had beaten and questioned whether the challenger had earned a title shot. Mendez’s response was that the promotion had told both fighters the Sandhagen bout would determine the next challenger. He said Nurmagomedov had asked to fight before Ramadan if the title bout did not happen, rather than demanding the belt, according to BJPenn’s report.
What happened in the fight
The title bout took place on January 18, 2025. Dvalishvili retained the bantamweight championship by unanimous decision, with scores of 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46, according to MMA Fighting’s event report.
Sources
- BJPenn: Mendez’s response to Dvalishvili’s criticism (January 5, 2025)
- MMA Fighting: Dvalishvili’s title defense and decision result (January 19, 2025)
