Two blockbuster matchups are reportedly being developed: Ilia Topuria against Usman Nurmagomedov, and Umar Nurmagomedov against Merab Dvalishvili. Both bouts are still in the development stage and have not been officially confirmed.
Two major UFC matchups are reportedly being developed: Ilia Topuria against Usman Nurmagomedov, and Umar Nurmagomedov against Merab Dvalishvili. Neither bout has been officially confirmed, and both are still at an early stage.
The fighters
Topuria, 29, is a 17-1 lightweight ranked first in his division and first pound-for-pound. The Spaniard's most recent recorded fight was a fourth-round TKO loss to Justin Gaethje in a title fight on June 14, 2026, his first defeat. Before that he stopped Charles Oliveira in the first round at UFC 317 and Max Holloway in the third at UFC 308. He lands 4.81 significant strikes per minute at 48 percent accuracy.
Umar Nurmagomedov, 30, is 20-2 and ranked fourth at bantamweight. He is coming off a second-round KO loss to Song Yadong on August 29, 2026, after unanimous decision wins over Deiveson Figueiredo and Mario Bautista. The Russian lands 3.76 significant strikes per minute at 56 percent accuracy and averages 3.94 takedowns per 15 minutes.
Dvalishvili, 35, is a 21-6 bantamweight ranked first in the division and second pound-for-pound. His most recent recorded fight was a unanimous decision loss to Petr Yan in a five-round title fight on October 24, 2026, his second straight defeat to Yan. His takedown rate of 5.74 per 15 minutes is the highest of the fighters involved here.
Why it matters
- Umar and Dvalishvili have met before. Dvalishvili won a unanimous decision over Umar across five rounds at UFC 311 in January 2025, so a second fight would be a rematch.
- Both men in that pairing are coming off losses, Umar by knockout and Dvalishvili on the scorecards, and both bouts would carry weight in the bantamweight rankings.
- Topuria's reported matchup would follow his first career loss, with the Spaniard looking to bounce back against Usman Nurmagomedov.
- Dvalishvili's takedown rate is roughly 1.8 more per 15 minutes than Umar's 3.94, a gap that defined their first meeting.
Until the UFC confirms either fight, dates, venues and weight classes remain unknown.
