Overview
- Nurmagomedov faces Bautista on Saturday at UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi in his first fight since a close title-fight loss to Merab Dvalishvili in January and subsequent hand surgery.
- He says he needs a finish to speed a rematch path, and Khabib Nurmagomedov led a demanding camp and is expected to corner him.
- Sportsbooks have moved hard toward Nurmagomedov during fight week, with some lines around -550 and implied win probability above 80%.
- Bautista enters on an eight-fight streak highlighted by wins over Jose Aldo and Patchy Mix, says it will take his full skill set to win, and views an upset as a fast track to a title shot.
- With Dvalishvili booked to defend against Yan on Dec. 6, Nurmagomedov says he wants to stay active and is open to fighting again as early as January or February if needed.