Khabib Nurmagomedov says his cousin, Umar Nurmagomedov, still has the potential to become the number-one pound-for-pound fighter. Umar will return to the cage on October 18, 2025, in Vancouver, facing Mario Bautista in a five-round main event at UFC Fight Night.
Learning from Islam’s Setback
Khabib drew a direct comparison between Umar’s recent loss and Islam Makhachev’s early career setback.
He said:
“On high level, who can become pound-for-pound (number one)? I really believe Umar can be there too. Umar’s situation right now, he’s dealing with a loss but, in 2015, Islam was in the same position, today’s 2025 and he’s the best fighter on the earth.”
Of the upcoming Vancouver fight, he added
“18th of October, he’s gonna fight in Vancouver, it will be a five round fight. We will see how he’s gonna deal with this. I don’t know, I don’t know because his name is Umar, my name is Khabib and we are completely different humans but we will see the way how we’re gonna deal with his loss.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov says Umar Nurmagomedov can become pound-for-pound number one if he learns the right lessons from his last loss against Merab Dvalishvili. “He’s dealing with a loss. But in 2015, Islam was in the same position. Today’s 2025 and he’s the best fighter on Earth,”… pic.twitter.com/eXTNyKpglb
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) August 10, 2025
Umar Nurmagomedov holds an 18-1 professional record, with 2 knockouts, 7 submissions, and 9 decisions. His first and only loss came in a UFC Bantamweight title fight against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311 on January 18, 2025, which he lost by unanimous decision after five rounds. That match earned Fight of the Night honors.
Before that, Umar defeated Cory Sandhagen in August 2024 via unanimous decision in a fight that served as a title eliminator. He also secured a first-round knockout with a body kick and punch combination over Raoni Barcelos in January 2023, earning Performance of the Night.
He had solid wins against Bekzat Almakhan (March 2024), Nate Maness (June 2022), Brian Kelleher (March 2022), and Sergey Morozov (January 2021), showcasing his balanced skill set and finishing ability.
Umar’s return bout is confirmed as the main event at UFC Fight Night 262, to be held on October 18, 2025, at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia. He will face Mario Bautista, who enters with a 15-2 record.
Umar is currently ranked 2nd in the bantamweight division, just below champion Merab Dvalishvili, according to the UFC rankings updated in August 2025.
