Umar Nurmagomedov Issues Statement After First Professional Loss At UFC 311: ‘I Don’t Think I Lost This Battle’

Cousin Umar doesn’t believe he lost.

Umar Nurmagomedov suffered his first professional loss at UFC 311 yesterday (Sat., Jan. 19, 2025) when Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili drowned him in the championship rounds to win a unanimous decision from inside the brand-new Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California.

A day after the fight, Nurmagomedov took to his Instagram to react to his loss.

“There are no excuses,” Nurmagomedov wrote. InshaAllah I will become the champion. The rest is not important. Praise Allah in any situation. And I don’t think I’ve lost this battle even if the whole world will convince me otherwise. Deal with the injuries and get back on track. InshaAllah.”

Nurmagomedov can choose to believe whatever he wants, but he clearly lost the title fight.

It was revealed immediately after the fight that the 29-year-old broke his hand in the first round (check out the pic).

His coach, Khabib Nurmagomedov, also reacted to his cousin’s loss.

“@umar_nurmagomedov keep your head up Junior, you showed yesterday that you are one of the best in the world, at the moment we have a lot to work on, work on the mistakes and get back to the title race,” Khabib wrote.

Umar vs. Sean O’Malley next?

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 311: “Makhachev vs. Moicano” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For complete UFC 311 results, highlights, and live play-by-play, click HERE.