Umar Nurmagomedov raised concerns among fans late last year when he revealed he had suffered a severe arm injury.
However, he has since clarified those claims, stating that he is fully prepared to fight Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311. Nurmagomedov was fully originally scheduled to face Song Yadong in Tampa a month ago, but after Yadong’s injury and the title fight opportunity arose, he chose to compete on January 18 instead.
During the final two weeks of his training camp, current welterweight champion Belal Muhammad worked alongside Nurmagomedov and teammate Islam Makhachev. Despite the injury rumours, Muhammad was impressed with the Russian’s performance.
Umar Nurmagomedov Reveals Broken Arm Injury
In an interview with ESPN MMA towards the end of last year, Umar Nurmagomedov shared how he suffered a broken arm. The injury likely would have forced him to miss his planned December fight with Song Yadong, but the extra time allowed him to recover. Umar explained this when he said;
“After I was in Dagestan, I punched my arm,”
“I went to the doctor, and they did an X-ray. They said, ‘You broke your arm.’”
“Even though it was broken, after 20 days, I kept running and doing shadow boxing to stay in shape. By the time I went back, it felt much better.”
“I could punch, grapple, and do wrestling class—everything I could. Then I called my manager, Ali Abdelaziz, and said, ‘I want to fight.’ He asked, ‘But we said you were injured.’ I told him, ‘Take the fight.’”
“My manager and my brother thought I was crazy, saying I couldn’t fight like that. They called me again and asked if I wanted to fight Merab. I told them, ‘Make it happen.’ I want to fight in Ramadan if Merab is ready, and I want to stay active.”
Umar Nurmagomedov Confirms Full Recovery, Ready for Fight Night
Fortunately for the fight fans, Umar Nurmagomedov recently clarified in an interview with MMA Junkie that he has fully recovered and is ready for fight night. He expressed confidence in securing a victory, which would be the first of two title fights that evening. Speaking to Mike Bohn Umar said;
“I’m not training injured,”
Umar then went on to address the previous reports and clarify his earlier statements when he said;
“I was already healthy when this training camp started, and it wasn’t an issue during training.”
“Everything went perfectly during camp. I’m good, I’m ready, I’m perfect. Don’t worry about that. My arm is ready to smash.”
Belal Muhammad Impressed by Umar Nurmagomedov’s Sparring
Despite concerns about his health leading up to the fight, Umar Nurmagomedov clearly impressed welterweight champion Belal Muhammad with his sparring performance. While Muhammad didn’t mention any injuries, he seemed confident that Nurmagomedov is set to put on an outstanding display. Speaking with Submission Radio Belal said;
“I was actually just in Vegas for the last two weeks to train and be in a room full of energy,”
“Umar is in his first title fight, and I know exactly how he feels because I was just there.”
“Khabib has three guys he’s cornering, and they all look great. They’re all hungry, and the room is full of killers. I’m excited to see how they perform next week. I believe all three will win.”
“I think they all have clear paths to victory, so I expect Khabib to start the year strong. Umar is so good. There was nothing I saw that made me think anything was wrong with him.”
“He looked fantastic during his last sparring day on Wednesday. I’m excited to see how he performs. I truly believe he’s the best bantamweight in the world, and this matchup is very favourable for him.”
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
