UFC boss Dana White tells contender to impress at UFC 321
Dana White has made it clear — Umar Nurmagomedov can earn another title shot, but only if he delivers something special at UFC 321.
Nurmagomedov is set to face Mario Bautista this Saturday in Abu Dhabi in a pivotal bantamweight clash that could determine the next challenger for Merab Dvalishvili’s title. However, with Dvalishvili already scheduled to defend his belt against Petr Yan at UFC 323 on December 6, the timeline for the next contender remains uncertain.
At Thursday’s pre-event press conference, Nurmagomedov directly asked White whether his fight could be considered a No. 1 contender bout.
“Could this fight be the contender fight?” White repeated. “Go out there and put on a show on Saturday that makes people go, ‘Damn, one of these guys should be fighting for the title next.’”
Nurmagomedov replied confidently, “OK, I’m going to do it,” sealing it with White’s response: “Deal.”
The Russian standout began his UFC career undefeated, going 18-0 with wins over top names including Cory Sandhagen, before suffering his first professional loss to Dvalishvili at UFC 311. Since then, Dvalishvili has successfully defended his title twice, while Nurmagomedov has waited for another shot at redemption.
Still, Nurmagomedov insists his focus isn’t on his rival, but on reclaiming the top spot.
“It’s too boring to talk about this guy all the time,” Nurmagomedov said. “I want to talk about the belt. If I’m the next contender, great — but whoever has it, I’ll fight.”
White didn’t specify what exactly would “impress” him, but a finish could go a long way. Nurmagomedov hasn’t stopped an opponent since January 2023, while Bautista rides an eight-fight win streak with victories over names like Jose Aldo and Patchy Mix.
Nurmagomedov is confident he’ll deliver:
“If it’s going to be a finish, of course it’s great,” he said. “But I’ll show all my skills everywhere — I’ll give a very good performance.”
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