Overview
- At Thursday’s pre-fight press conference, Nurmagomedov asked to make the bout a contender fight, and White replied that a performance that “puts on a show” would earn that status, sealing it with “Deal.”
- Nurmagomedov meets Bautista on Saturday’s UFC 321 main card in Abu Dhabi in a matchup widely viewed as positioning the winner at the front of the title queue.
- Bautista arrives on an eight-fight winning streak and told reporters he’s targeting a first-round knockout and a chance to “shake things up” in the division.
- Nurmagomedov is rebounding from his first pro loss, a unanimous decision to Dvalishvili at UFC 311 in January, and says he wants to stay active with another fight in January or February.
- Any immediate rematch is constrained by Dvalishvili’s booked defense against Yan at UFC 323, and UFC leadership has emphasized that a title shot remains discretionary even with an impressive win.