While Din Thomas acknowledges the skillset Umar Nurmagomedov brings to the Octagon, he doesn’t see him dethroning UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili.
The pair are set to meet in the co-main event of UFC 311 on Jan. 18 in Los Angeles. Thomas believes the reigning titleholder’s relentless style and ability to handle high-pressure situations will give him the edge over Nurmagomedov.
“I think Merab wins against Umar,” Thomas told MMA Junkie. “I think Merab beats Umar. I just think that somewhere in that division, it catches up to him. I’m not sure Umar’s the guy though, and it’s not because I don’t think Umar is good enough. I just think that fighting comes down to moments and being able to deal with the pressure. Umar has a lot of weight to carry. The name, there’s a lot going on.”
The former fighter-turned-analyst highlighted the unique challenges that Dvalishvili presents as a fighter, explaining that his ability to exploit small weaknesses in opponents could be the deciding factor.
“For him to go out there and fight a guy like Merab — if it was anybody else, I would pick Umar. But a guy like Merab, who has built a career on finding these small, little holes in fighters — he finds these small, little holes and just exposes them with his pressure and his comfortability inside the cage. I think Umar has to watch out for that. I think Merab finds these little moments and breaks him.”
Despite Thomas’ doubts, Nurmagomedov has expressed unwavering confidence ahead of the fight, claiming he doesn’t see himself losing to Dvalishvili.
However, the ex-fighter views this confidence as potentially problematic, emphasizing the mental toll that the Georgian’s relentless style can take on an opponent.
“Those are the things that I try to pay attention to with fighters,” Thomas continued. “The more confidence Umar has, when Merab keeps coming, and he’s like, ‘Damn, I thought this was going to be over,’ and you start to break, that’s when it really exposes itself. I just feel like he’s got all that confidence, and when he realizes that Merab is not going to stop, and he’s like, ‘I’m better, but this guy will not stop,’ you start to lose confidence, you start to break. I can see that happening in this fight.”
