‘Petr Yan Made a Mistake’- Umar Nurmagomedov Calls Out Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan

UFC bantamweight prospect Umar Nurmagomedov spoke out through RT Sport MMA and candidly commented on the top contenders of the division. Khabib Nurmagomedov’s cousin has only one fight in the UFC and is still seen as a viable threat. At 13-0, he has poised himself to make a run so long as he secures marquee match-ups with relative ease.

Umar Nurmagomedov was asked to chime in on Aljamain Sterling’s controversial title win as well as his overall views on both Sterling and Petr Yan. Nurmagomedov was quite dismissive of the manner in which ‘Aljo’ won the bantamweight strap at UFC 259. Moreover, he viewed both men as merely potential opponents and it’s clear he’s all business going forward.

“A fictitious one, yes. If you’re asking whether [Sterling] deserves the belt- no. He didn’t win that belt. Petr made a mistake and he was given it.”

“I don’t have the mindset that Sterling’s the man and Petr’s a bad guy or the other way around. They’re both potential opponents. I’m ready to fight them both for the title. There’s no special relationship with either of them. I was rooting for Petr because Khabib retired and he was the only Russian UFC champ and I was hoping our country would retain it. But we’ve got good prospects at 135-pounds and 155-pounds and I hope we get some belts.”

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Umar Nurmagomedov: How does he fit into all this?

Nurmagomedov pulled off a slick second-round submission at 3:39 against Sergey Morozov back in January. Prior to his preliminary UFC appearance Nurmagomedov notably competed in the PFL and GFC, the latter being a famed Russian organization. He’s already been tested through his 13-fight career and is ready for a step up in competition.

Cousins Khabib and Umar Nurmagomedov made their UFC debuts exactly nine years apart.

Both submitted their respective opponent with a rear naked choke pic.twitter.com/3w9on2g1Cb

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 20, 2021

Umar Nurmagomedov aims to get in close and unlike some of his Dagestani counterparts, he relies on leg kicks to do so. Once the fight is within submission range, it’s likely that Umar Nurmagomedov will seal the deal.

6 of his 13 wins have come via submission and he’s got a varied skill set of maneuvers to pull from. What’s more, his defensive awareness makes him a threat for the entire duration of the fight.

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