Umar Nurmagomedov Broke Hand In First Round At UFC 311 But ‘I Don’t Think I’ll Lose This Fight’

Umar Nurmagomedov lost one of his primary weapons after suffering a broken hand in the opening round of his title fight against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311 on Saturday.

Although he’s not exactly sure when it happened, Nurmagomedov knows that his ability to throw left-hand punches was negated almost immediately, and it clearly affected him throughout the fight. Ultimately, he lost a unanimous decision after a five-round fight.

After the fight, Nurmagomedov removed his glove to show the damage done in a photo provided to MMA Fighting by his team at Dominance MMA.

Nurmagomedov requires further testing along with x-rays to better understand the full extent of the damage to his hand, but he is clearly dealing with significant swelling immediately following his fight.

As far as his performance goes, Nurmagomedov still believes he should leave UFC 311 with the bantamweight title around for life, though he plans to rewatch the fight to fully understand everything that unfolded.

“I think the first round I won, the second (round) was close,” Nurmagomedov told UFC color commentator Joe Rogan immediately after the fight ended. “I don’t think I will lose this fight, but Alhamdulillah, any position, Alhamdulillah. After the first round, I can’t hit because I think I broke my hand. The game goes the other way.

“Any attitude, Alhamdulillah, good or bad, I’ll say that, Alhamdulillah, thank God. I have to watch this video of my fight. I don’t think I’m going to lose this fight. I’m not arguing with the referees, I have to watch again. I got to see all the rounds. Nothing (surprised me), I knew he was a tough guy. I broke my hand in the first round.”

Even in defeat, Nurmagomedov still put on an admirable show in his first attempt at becoming a UFC champion. He started the fight strongly with a dynamic striking display through the first two rounds, stopping any attempt by Dvalishvili to ground him.

As time went on, Dvalishvili’s pace and pressure began to wear on Nurmagomedov, and in the fourth round, the reigning UFC bantamweight champion surged as he built his lead on the scorecards.

In the end, the judges awarded Dvalishvili the fight by scores of 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46 as he retained the belt in his first title defense.

The loss may sting for now, but it’s hard to imagine that Nurmagomedov won’t eventually earn his way back for another title shot because of his performance on Saturday and the Fight of the Night award he shares with Dvalishvili after UFC 311.