UFC 311 results: Merab Dvalishvili excels late, outpaces Umar Nurmagomedov to retain title

Merab Dvalishvili is inevitable.

Despite Umar Nurmagomedov’s best efforts in his first crack at UFC gold, Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) proved his championship metal by getting better as the fight reached deep waters.

The UFC bantamweight championship remained around the Georgian’s waist after outpacing Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) with unanimous scores of 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46 in the UFC 311 co-main event at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.

There was no touch of gloves to start this one. Both fighters were patient as they bounced around, studying the range. It took a little while to get to the action, but when things started to heat up, Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov darted in with quick strikes, then exited before counters could land. While takedowns weren’t there for either fighter in the opening round, Nurmagomedov landed a big punch in the closing seconds.

Big exchanges took place in the opening minute of Round 2 as Nurmagomedov landed sharp combos to get the crowd excited. The wrestling game soon followed, with the challenger winning a frantic scramble for position to take Dvalishvili’s back.

Dvalishvili escaped the position without much trouble, and the striking exchanges on the feet continued until the round concluded.

In Round 3, Dvalishvili completed the first takedown on Nurmagomedov in his past seven fights, but couldn’t do anything with it before the fight returned to standing. Looking to change the course of the fight, Dvalishvili turned up the pressure, and had fun in the process by gesturing to the crowd.

Dvalishvili brought his undying pace into Round 4, getting his opponent to the ground a little easier – but couldn’t keep it there. Nurmagomedov’s attempts to bring the fight to the ground were unsuccessful as his fatigue became more apparent.

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With five minutes to go, momentum was on Dvalishvili’s side. As Nurmagomedov became more stationary, the champ leaned on his gas tank to push the pace. As the final minutes of the fight ticked away, Dvalishvili landed big punches and completed enough takedowns to break Georges St-Pierre’s record.

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Not only did Dvalishvili pick up his first bantamweight title defense, he did so by handing Nurmagomedov the first loss of his professional career. It was a phenomenal title performance, proving exactly why they call Rounds 4 and 5 the “championship rounds.”

Dvalishvili’s reign began at UFC 306 in September in the promotion’s spectacle of an event at Sphere in Las Vegas. He now has one title defense under his belt, and it came just four months later.

Nurmagomedov appeared to take the loss in stride. He told Joe Rogan that he broke his hand in the first round, but didn’t make any excuses for his performance. While he expressed he wanted to watch the fight to be sure about the decision, he didn’t feel the need to argue the result.

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Up-to-the-minute UFC 311 results include:

Merab Dvalishvili def. Umar Nurmagomedov via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)
Jiri Prochazka def. Jamahal Hill via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 3:01
Jailton Almeida def. Serghei Spivac via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:53
Reinier de Ridder def. Kevin Holland via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:31
Raoni Barcelos def. Payton Talbott via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
Azamat Bekoev def. Zach Reese via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 3:04
Bogdan Guskov def. Billy Elekana via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 3:33
Grant Dawson def. Diego Ferreira via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Ailin Perez def. Karol Rosa via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Muin Gafurov def. Rinya Nakamura via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Bernardo Sopaj def. Ricky Turcios via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Tagir Ulanbekov def. Clayton Carpenter via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)