According to Javier Mendez, Merab Dvalishvili`s gamesmanship played a significant role in his win against Umar Nurmagomedov.
Dvalishvili successfully defended his title against favored Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 in January. Despite Nurmagomedov being the predicted winner, Dvalishvili`s relentless pace and cardio secured him a unanimous decision victory (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) over the five rounds. Post-fight, Nurmagomedov mentioned a broken hand in the first round impacting his performance. However, his coach, Javier Mendez, believes a different factor was decisive.
On his podcast, Javier & Mo, Mendez stated to Nurmagomedov, “In my opinion, you won three of the five rounds. Perhaps I am biased, but I believe the fifth round was lost due to Dvalishvili`s showboating. His confident demeanor, contrasting with your fatigue, swayed the judges. I feel he essentially took the win because you allowed him to control the perception. Nevertheless, I believe you performed better.”
Mendez elaborated, “Considering damage and other fight metrics, Umar arguably inflicted more. However, Dvalishvili’s constant ‘I’m the winner’ attitude was evident and impactful. Umar’s inability to counter this likely influenced the judges’ perception.”
Fight statistics show a close contest, with Dvalishvili landing only seven more strikes. He did secure five more takedowns, albeit with twice the attempts. Ultimately, Dvalishvili won the decision and is now expected to face Sean O’Malley in a rematch at UFC 316 in June. Nurmagomedov is rumored to be potentially matched against Petr Yan, though nothing is officially confirmed.
