The Bantamweight Division is matched up perfectly, besides… Umar Nurmagomedov

Within the final two months, the UFC has created bantamweight matchups which might be all licensed bangers. The highest of the division is in contender bouts, whereas the opposite ranked fighters are matched up pretty. Ranked fighters coming off losses agreed to battle these ranked decrease, who’re all on win streaks. Nearly everybody got here out with matchups they’re pleased with, besides Eleventh-ranked Umar Nurmagomedov, who’s coming off a knockout victory in January.

The undefeated Dagestani has by no means been visibly threatened within the cage throughout his profession and is the cousin of the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov. His youthful brother, Usman, is the present light-weight champion of Bellator, and each have 16-0 data. Umar has been vocal on Twitter about desirous to battle in March and even said that he was keen to present an unranked opponent an opportunity. He stays unmatched. He is likely to be essentially the most well-rounded out of the Nurmagomedov household, with dynamic kicks and dominant grappling. His ability set has made getting opponents to signal throughout the dotted line so tough.

Listed here are the opposite bantamweight matchups by class:

Championship Bouts: Champion Aljamain Sterling is scheduled to make his third title protection in a matchup of elite wrestlers towards the previous double champion, Henry Cejudo at UFC 288 in Might. The winner is anticipated to tackle top-ranked contender Sean O’Malley in the summertime. O’Malley’s battle with the winner will seemingly draw essentially the most viewers, as he’s a fan favourite together with his hand pace and mic abilities.

Prime Contender Bouts: 2nd ranked contender and former champion Petr Yan will look to avenge two defeats towards the champion, by dealing with off towards his teammate in third ranked Merab Dvalishvili at UFC Las Vegas in March. This matchup might be a chess match between two glorious wrestlers, whereas Yan can also be a devastating striker. Dvalishvili will not be thought-about essentially the most thrilling fighter, however his abilities are revered as he dominated Jose Aldo in his final battle. Later within the month, fireworks are anticipated within the UFC San Antonio headliner, that includes 4th-ranked Marlon Vera and Fifth-ranked Cory Sandhagen. Each have spotlight reels of inventive knockouts. Given each fighters’ sturdy chins, a bloody conflict of dynamic placing is anticipated in a bout that’s prone to be a fight-of-the-year candidate. If the champion can get by way of Cejudo and O’Malley, and strikes as much as the featherweight division as instructed, the winners of each fights may battle for a vacant belt on the finish of the 12 months.

Rising Contender Bouts in April: Sixth-ranked Rob Font will likely be attempting at hand streaky Thirteenth-ranked Adrian Yanez his first UFC loss at UFC 287. It will likely be revealed which is more practical between the exhausting hitters: Font’s precision or Yanez’s pace. eighth ranked Tune Yadong is coming off a powerful efficiency in a loss to Cory Sandhagen. China’s pleasure will put his wrestling to the check towards Tenth-ranked veteran Ricky Simon. Moreover, Ninth-ranked Pedro Munhoz will look to finish his dropping streak towards Twelfth-ranked Chris Gutierrez who’s 7-1-1 within the UFC. All three fights look like shut and intriguing matchups.

Matchmakers created 5 completely different bangers for contenders and left intriguing title fights that can seemingly function Aljamain Sterling, Henry Cejudo, and Sean O’Malley. It was close to perfection, apart from the truth that the undefeated Umar is unmatched.

It’s unknown if Umar was ducked or just not provided any fights. The one different out there ranked fighter that’s not in talks for title fights is the legendary former champion in seventh ranked Dominick Cruz. Will the already-proven Cruz return to preventing and provides the undefeated murderer an opportunity? The world is ready to see how nice Umar is, and discovering an opponent is likely to be his hardest problem but.

Anik Subramanian is an aspiring MMA journalist based mostly in the USA. He found his ardour for MMA when the game was the primary to return to dwell motion throughout the pandemic. He’s additionally a black belt in Tae Kwon Do and has been a lifelong sports activities fan.