Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has encouraged cousin Umar Nurmagomedov to keep his head held high following a first career setback in Los Angeles this past Saturday night.
The 29-year-old made the walk inside Inglewood's Intuit Dome for his opening title opportunity on mixed martial arts' biggest stage, looking to become the latest undefeated Nurmagomedov to hold gold in a leading promotion.
Unfortunately for the Dagestani, he failed in that quest at UFC 311. Instead, Merab Dvalishvili successfully maintained his position on the bantamweight throne, emerging victorious from a memorable five-round battle to record his first defense.
Having suffered his first defeat as a professional and exited California without the belt in his possession, Nurmagomedov will understandably be disappointed.
His coach, mentor, and cousin, however, is confident of making the necessary fixes to ensure a successful title challenge down the line.
