Overview
- All three judges scored the bout 30-27, with Nurmagomedov piling up roughly 10 takedowns and long stretches of control time.
- Bautista created real danger with a deep toe-hold early and a knee that dropped Nurmagomedov in round two, but he could not sustain momentum.
- The result ends Bautista’s eight-fight winning streak and returns Nurmagomedov to the front of the bantamweight contender queue.
- Afterward, Nurmagomedov said he underestimated Bautista and called for the winner of Merab Dvalishvili vs. Petr Yan on December 6.
- Dana White had urged a statement performance to claim the next shot, and while Khabib briefly translated in-cage, he later cautioned Umar to fix the dip that led to the knee; White also expressed interest in exploring a UFC move for PFL champion Usman Nurmagomedov.