Should something force bantamweight kingpin Merab Dvalishvili out of UFC 311, challenger Umar Nurmagomedov would not be the least bit shocked.
The undefeated Dagestani is set to mark the first threat to the Georgian's reign this year after his crowning at the expense of Sean O'Malley last September.
They'll co-headline the opening pay-per-view event of 2025, UFC 311 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. Top spot on the lineup has fallen to Nurmagomedov's teammate, lightweight champ Islam Makhachev, and his rematch with Arman Tsarukyan.
But according to the surging bantamweight, it would come as a surprise to nobody if he ended up watching proceedings from the audience instead of competing on the night.
During a recent interview uploaded to the UFC's YouTube channel, Nurmagomedov assessed the likelihood of Dvalishvili withdrawing.
I will not be surprised and nobody will be surprised. Even right now, I saw like commentary on Twitter, they said he will pull out, but he never pulled out before. I hope he will not and the fight is going to happen," Nurmagomedov said.
Dvalishvili was vocal in expressing displeasure at having to face Nurmagomedov for his first defense. "The Machine" branded the Russian undeserving of the shot and pitched numerous other opponents.
Nevertheless, the titleholder has remained confident of getting the job done and emerging from the heated rivalry with the gold still in his possession.