TLDR
- Demetrious Johnson says Dagestani fighters mainly lose because they overtrain and gas out during fights
- Johnson picked Umar Nurmagomedov to defeat Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 324 this Saturday
- Nurmagomedov appeared to fade in later rounds during his UFC 311 title loss to Merab Dvalishvili
- Johnson predicts the Nurmagomedov-Figueiredo fight will be decided through grappling exchanges
- Some Dagestani fighters like Islam Makhachev have shown elite endurance while others have struggled with cardio
Sources: MMA Junkie | Sherdog | LowKickMMA.com
Former UFC flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson believes fighters from Dagestan have one main weakness that causes them to lose fights. According to Johnson, overtraining leads these fighters to gas out during competition.
Johnson shared his analysis while previewing the upcoming UFC 324 bout between Umar Nurmagomedov and Deiveson Figueiredo. The fight takes place Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on the featured prelims.
“Those guys train so hard,” Johnson said on the Jaxxon Podcast. “The only reason I feel like those guys do lose is obviously someone is better than them, but they gas out because they’re overtrained. They train all the f*cking time.”
Fighters from Dagestan have achieved impressive records in mixed martial arts. UFC welterweight champion Islam Makhachev holds a 28-1 record, while Umar Nurmagomedov stands at 19-1. PFL lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov remains undefeated at 20-0.
Umar’s Championship Rounds Struggle
Umar Nurmagomedov’s recent title fight against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311 illustrated Johnson’s point. Nurmagomedov won the first two rounds on two of the judges’ scorecards before Dvalishvili rallied for a unanimous decision victory.
The Dagestani fighter appeared to fade in the later rounds under Dvalishvili’s relentless pressure. Nurmagomedov also broke his hand during that fight.
Nurmagomedov bounced back at UFC 321 with a dominant unanimous decision win over Mario Bautista. He snapped Bautista’s winning streak in that performance.
Other Dagestani fighters have shown similar cardio issues in recent bouts. Said Nurmagomedov has displayed endurance problems in his previous two fights, both of which resulted in losses.
However, some fighters from the region like Islam Makhachev, Khabib Nurmagomedov, and Usman Nurmagomedov have demonstrated elite endurance throughout their careers. Their conditioning has been a key factor in their success.
Johnson’s Prediction for UFC 324
Johnson predicts the Nurmagomedov versus Figueiredo matchup will be decided on the ground. He expects Nurmagomedov to secure takedowns and control the grappling exchanges.
“So the fight between Umar and Figgy is going to come down to the grappling,” Johnson said. “Umar is going to take him down. It’s going to be a grappling exchange.”
Figueiredo holds a 25-5-1 record and is a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He lost his last fight to Cory Sandhagen after suffering a knee injury from a 50-50 position.
The former two-time UFC flyweight champion has won four of his last six fights since moving up to bantamweight. Figueiredo is seeking a rematch with current bantamweight champion Petr Yan.
Nurmagomedov has stated he wants to challenge for the bantamweight title again if he wins Saturday. He aims to face Yan for the championship belt.
“If I have to pick one, I am going to pick Umar Nurmagomedov,” Johnson said. The UFC legend believes Nurmagomedov’s grappling skills will be the difference maker in the prelim bout.
