Whereas Khabib Nurmagomedov is capitalizing on Umar Nurmagomedov’s current win to deliver his cousin squarely again into the middle of bantamweight title rivalry, Umar himself stays cautiously public about when his second crack at gold will come.
Will Umar Nurmagomedov have a shot at successful the title in 2026? Khabib says he is prepared, however might want one other struggle within the UFC
Following Umar’s unanimous choice victory over former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 324 in Perth, Khabib posted an in depth message on Instagram, praising his cousin for 2 fights in three months and hinting that the crew hopes for an early return. “Whether or not they give us the belt or not, it would not matter. We might be able to struggle in Could or June,” the previous light-weight champion wrote, noting that the current breakthrough is only the start for Umar.
Habib additionally used the put up to attract consideration to a different member of his household. He stated he’s “passing the baton” to Bellator light-weight champion Usman Nurmagomedov, who’s scheduled to defend his title in Dubai on February 7 as a part of the Bellator Champions Collection, and that the crew is already “ready” for Usman’s subsequent victory. This sentence strengthened Khabib’s function as a coach and profession organizer for the complete Nurmagomedov steady.
Contained in the cage at UFC 324, Umar relied on wrestling and prime management to neutralize Figueiredo, who turned the struggle right into a catchweight contest along with his 138.5-pound heavyweight. With this choice, Umar’s skilled outcomes are twentieth and 1st, and within the impartial rankings, he was ranked nineteenth and nineteenth till the start of 2026, earlier than the Perth outcome was launched, indicating that he maintains his place within the prime 4 bantamweights on this planet. It was additionally his second win since dropping in 5 rounds to Merab Dvalishvili in a title struggle at UFC 311, which was later named the perfect struggle of 2025.
Regardless of Khabib’s bullish tone, Umar is making an attempt to calmly state that he’ll quickly have a shot at Petr Yan’s title. Talking to reporters throughout struggle week, he stated he didn’t anticipate the UFC to supply him a championship match instantly after defeating Figueiredo, and that he was keen to rematch as many instances as crucial earlier than getting a title shot in 2026. Umar has floated the concept of headlining an occasion in Abu Dhabi in opposition to Tune Yadong or Sean O’Malley, relying on how the promotion books Yan’s anticipated protection in opposition to Dvalishvili and O’Malley’s additional problem for the belt.
This stance is in keeping with his feedback since his loss to Dvalishvili, emphasizing the necessity for him to return rapidly, rack up wins and develop his matchmaking, moderately than being too energetic in public. On the similar time, Khabib has constantly maintained that Umar’s model and rating already warrant a title struggle, stressing that his cousin is “prepared” for the division’s elite following his earlier important occasion victory.
