According to Javier Mendez, Merab Dvalishvili`s strategic gamesmanship played a key role in his victory against Umar Nurmagomedov.
In their January UFC 311 co-main event fight, Dvalishvili successfully defended his title against the favored Nurmagomedov. Despite Nurmagomedov being the favorite, Dvalishvili`s superior cardio and relentless pressure allowed him to dominate the fight over five rounds, securing a unanimous decision victory with scores of 48-47, 48-47, and 49-46. After the fight, Nurmagomedov mentioned a first-round hand injury as a factor in his performance. However, his coach, Javier Mendez, suggests a different perspective on the outcome.
On the “Javier & Mo” podcast, Mendez shared his thoughts, stating, “You know what, Umar? In my opinion, I believe you won three of the five rounds. Perhaps I`m biased, but I felt the reason you lost the fifth round is because Dvalishvili showboated his way to winning it. He projected himself as the winner while you appeared tired. I believe he essentially took the round from you because you allowed him to. But overall, I felt you were ahead.”
Mendez elaborated, “When considering damage and other factors, and also presence, Dvalishvili definitely conveyed a winning presence. The actual damage he inflicted was minimal compared to Umar`s. Umar landed more significant strikes. However, Merab consistently acted like, `I’m the winner, I’m the winner,` and Umar didn`t counter that. I can understand how judges could be influenced by that perception.”
The statistics of the fight indicate a close contest, with Dvalishvili landing just seven more strikes than Nurmagomedov. However, Dvalishvili also secured five more takedowns, although with twice the number of attempts. Ultimately, Dvalishvili was awarded the decision and is now scheduled to face Sean O’Malley in a rematch at the UFC 316 main event in June. Meanwhile, there are rumors of a potential matchup between Nurmagomedov and Petr Yan, although nothing has been officially confirmed.
