Merab Dvalishvili will upset Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311

Din Thomas doesn’t see Umar Nurmagomedov being the one to dethrone UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili.

Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC) defends his bantamweight title towards Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC 311 (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPNews/Disney+, ESPN+) co-main occasion at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.

Though Thomas doesn’t see Dvalishvili holding onto the title for too lengthy, he sees him handing Nurmagomedov his first loss.

“I feel Merab wins towards Umar,” Thomas informed MMA Junkie. “I feel Merab beats Umar. I simply assume that someplace in that division, it catches as much as him. I’m undecided Umar’s the man although, and it’s not as a result of I don’t assume Umar is nice sufficient. I simply assume that preventing comes right down to moments and with the ability to cope with the strain. Umar has loads of weight to hold. The identify, there’s lots occurring.

“After which for him to go on the market and battle a man like Merab. If it was anyone else, I’d decide Umar, however a man like Merab, who has constructed a profession on discovering these small, little holes in fighters. He finds these small, little holes and simply exposes them simply together with his strain, and his comfortability contained in the cage. I feel Umar has to be careful for that. I feel Merab finds these little moments and breaks him.”

Nurmagomedov, 29, who’s a sizeable favourite going into the battle, is oozing confidence. In a latest interview with MMA Junkie, Nurmagomedov mentioned he doesn’t see himself shedding to Dvalishvili.

“In a battle, something can occur,” Nurmagomedov informed MMA Junkie. “I can’t inform you, ‘This isn’t going to occur, by no means, ever.’ However this man won’t beat me. By no means, ever. I can inform you this one. I don’t learn about takedowns or one thing else, however he can be by no means beat me. He don’t have expertise to beat me.”

Thomas likes the arrogance, however is anxious it might finish as much as his detriment if the battle isn’t going his means.

“That’s the issue,” Thomas mentioned. “You bought to have that stage of confidence and when you’ve gotten that stage of confidence and everybody believing that about you – talent for talent, he’s lots higher than Merab. …He’s in all probability higher than Merab in all places. For certain, and on paper, he ought to win as a result of he’s higher in all places, however it’s these issues you may’t actually place worth on, issues you may’t actually measure, and that’s the stage of depth that Merab brings to form of even you out.

“These are the issues that I strive to concentrate to with fighters, and the extra confidence Umar has, when Merab retains coming, and he’s like, ‘Rattling, I assumed this was going to be over,’ and also you begin to break, that’s when it actually exposes itself. I simply really feel like he’s obtained all that confidence and when he realizes that Merab is just not going to cease, and he’s like, ‘I’m higher, however this man won’t cease,’ you begin to lose confidence, you begin to break, and I can see that taking place on this battle.”

For extra on the cardboard, go to MMA Junkie’s occasion hub for UFC 311.