Khabib Nurmagomedov shared an experienced point of view on his cousin Umar possibly having to wait some time for his title shot.
When Sean O’Malley was the UFC’s bantamweight champion, he had planned on giving Umar the next shot at the belt after Merab Dvalishvili. But, that plan clearly changed when “The Machine” took the title from O’Malley by way of a unanimous judges’ decision at UFC 306 in September.
Dvalishvili has shown very little interest in giving Umar a shot at the belt, and naturally the undefeated Russian is feeling frustrated. Seemingly based on his own experiences in the UFC, his older cousin Khabib had some sound advice on the subject.
“Islam [Makhachev] and I have already been in his place… This is called a transition period. Over time, everyone will want to fight you. Just keep pushing forward.”