The Umar Nurmagomedov hand injury that he hinted at following a first ever defeat in the UFC has required surgery, and the Dagestan native is expected to be out of action for an extended period.
Although he entered the Octagon at UFC 311’s co-main event as the ever-so-slight moneyline betting favorite, Umar Nurmagomedov could do little to prevent Merab Dvalishvili’s unyielding force as he fell to defeat by unanimous decision.
Team Khabib’s latest bid to snatch another UFC championship was scuppered as Dvalishvili took full advantage of Nurmagomedov’s visible fatigue by the third round.
Although the reigning bantamweight champion displayed just why he is a worthy title holder in his first defense of the belt, it was likely aided by a nasty hand injury to his opponent.
Nurmagomedov indicated that he had hurt his hand in the first round during Joe Rogan’s post-fight interview, although his coach, Javier Mendez, said his corner wasn’t aware of the injury.
Nurmagomedov took to social media to share photos of a severely swollen hand the next day.
Umar Nurmagomedov’s broken hand looks even worse a day later. #UFC311 pic.twitter.com/hmna6ZmHjI
— Damon Martin (@DamonMartin) January 19, 2025
Umar Nurmagomedov Hand Injury Requires Surgery, Says Manager
“Umar is getting a surgery tomorrow on his hand, he will be back in the cage mid or late summer,” Ali Abdelazi – his manager – tweeted on Tuesday.
While that recovery timeline is not ideal for Nurmagomedov on his quest for redemption, fears that it could have been longer have been put to rest.
The hand injury comes at an excruciating moment for Nurmagomedov, who remains adamant he should have been the victor at UFC 311 to extend his 18-fight professional winning streak.
The majority of viewers and pundits had Nurmagomedov as the winner in the first two rounds, but fatigued by a broken hand and battling one of the fittest fighters in the UFC saw Dvalishvili down as the winner in the final three.
Both of his mightily impressive 2024 wins over Cory Sandhagen and Bekzat Almakhan catapulted him into the frame for a title fight, but he may have to bide his time slightly upon his expected return in the summer.
Such was the closeness of the fight – even in spite of his injury – that he will almost certainly get another shot at the title, but a likely next opponent to cut his teeth on could be Sean O’Malley, who also lost to Dvalishvili at UFC 306.
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