The next bantamweight title fight already appears to be lined up following the main event of UFC 306 this past weekend.
Merab Dvalishvili defeated Sean O’Malley inside the Sphere to become the new champion and was immediately asked about the prospect of facing Umar Nurmagomedov next.
Though Dvalishvili doesn’t seem too sold on the idea, the UFC is clearly heading in this direction after Nurmagomedov defeated Cory Sandhagen in August.
In a clash of two of the most feared grapplers in the UFC right now, a former UFC champion believes that cardio may be the difference between them.
Demetrious Johnson Says Conditioning Could Be Key For Merab Dvalishvili Against Umar Nurmagomedov
In his post-fight breakdown of the main event at Noche UFC, Demetrious Johnson spoke about the next step for the new king of the bantamweights.
The former UFC flyweight champion said that when looking at Dvalishvili and how he matches up with Nurmagomedov, a few key differences stand out.
“Mighty Mouse”, who recently announced his retirement, drew attention to the fact that whilst the champion is known for smothering his opponents, Nurmagomedov is usually less reliant on pressure.
Johnson therefore believes that Dvalishvili’s seemingly endless gas tank could be his biggest weapon in this fight because we haven’t seen that same pace and output from the potential challenger.
“This is going to be interesting because I feel his [Merab] conditioning is going to be the X-factor because we know he’s not going to stop, he’s going to be a busy bee around the Octagon to where this gentleman [Umar] has the high kicks, he’s very long, he’s very big and he also has the wrestling but he does not have the work ethic like this man [Merab]. Not saying he doesn’t have the work ethic, he doesn’t have just that, ‘I’m coming to smash you, I’m coming to smother you,’ like Khabib. This man [Merab] has that bear gene were he just comes and gets you where he’s [Umar] more strategic.”
Read also: Umar Nurmagomedov’s Coach On Merab Dvalishvili: ‘Cain Velasquez In The Bantamweight Division’
