Dana White is fine with Umar Nurmagomedov getting another title shot.
But he better do everything he can to earn it at UFC 321.
Nurmagomedov faces Mario Bautista in a pivotal bantamweight bout Saturday, with the winner likely moving to the front of the line to face champion Merab Dvalishvili in the near future. However, nothing is guaranteed for either contender as Dvalishvili is already scheduled to defend his title against Petr Yan at UFC 323 on Dec. 6. Even if Dvalishvili is victorious, it’s unclear if he plans to make a quick turnaround for early 2026.
Regardless, Nurmagomedov and Bautista have been actively jockeying for position and at Thursday’s pre-event press conference in Abu Dhabi, Nurmagomedov straight-up asked White if his fight could officially be a No. 1 contender bout.
“I have a question for you, Dana,” Nurmagomedov said. “Can I ask? It’s possible me and Mario is a contender fight?”
“Could this fight be the contender fight?” White said. “Go out there and put on a show on Saturday that makes people go, ‘Damn, one of these guys should be fighting for the title next.”
“OK, I’m going to do it,” Nurmagomedov said, to which White replied, “Deal.”
Nurmagomedov began his UFC career on a tear, winning six straight fights to improve his pro record to 18-0, including a decision win over top contender Cory Sandhagen to earn his shot at Dvalishvili. At UFC 311, Dvalishvili outworked Nurmagomedov to win a clear-cut unanimous decision and hand the Russian standout his first loss.
Since then, Dvalishvili has recorded two more successful title defenses, while Nurmagomedov waited for his next opportunity. Though he’s eager to sign on for another championship opportunity, it doesn’t matter to Nurmagomedov whether it’s against Dvalishvili or someone else.
“It’s too boring to talk about this guy all the time,” Nurmagomedov said. “I want to talk about the belt and if I will be next contender, it’s going to be great for me, but this guy—If it’s going to happen, of course, I will fight. But a message for him, I don’t have anything.”
White didn’t lay out exactly what Nurmagomedov should do to impress him and the fans, but getting back to his finishing ways would likely help. Nurmagomedov finished three of his first four UFC opponents, but hasn’t won inside the distance since January 2023.
Nothing will come easy against Bautista, who has won eight straight fights and put on gritty performances against bigger names like Jose Aldo and Patchy Mix to beat them on the scorecards. Nurmagomedov is confident he’ll impress whether the fight ends early or goes the full 15.
“I think I just need to show best performance,” Nurmagomedov said. “If it’s going to be a finish, of course it’s going to be great, but I think I will show all my skills everywhere and what I want I’m going to show, a very good performance.”
