Merab Dvalishvilli vs Umar Nurmagomedov UFC 311 Live Blog

Welcome to the live updates blog as Merab Dvalishvilli defended UFC Bantamweight Championship against Umar Nurmagomedov in the co-main event of UFC 311 PPV.
This was Merab’s first title defense after he beat Sean O’Malley in September last year to take his winning streak to 11 fights. Was he be able to end Umar’s undefeated streak in his career? Umar, on the other hand, took a big jump after beating Cory Sandhagen in his last bout. Was this proved be too much for him or was it a cheesecake for him?
Tune in below as we provide live round-by-round updates from Merab Dvalishvilli vs Umar Nurmagomedov bout at UFC 311.
LIVE BLOG
Round 1: Guys keep their distance for the first 40 seconds. Umar slides in for a kick but Merab dodges it. Merab hits a low kick in reply. Umar goes for the question mark kick but Merab is away from him. Umar manages to land a combo. Merab replies with a big right a few seconds later. Merab lands another big punch 15 seconds later. Umar lands front leg kicks. Merab charges in and lands a few quick punches again. He blocks a takedown attempt with counter punches. Umar lands a kick on his shoulder. A kick and a punch combo from Umar and he tries to counter Merab’s punches with a single leg. Umar misses for a jumping knee as Merab tries to get away from him. Umar shows urgency again, but Merab lands a punch and then blocks another takedown. Umar lands a left to the body. Umar catches him with a counter as Merab lands a combo. Umar lands another left. Another kick from Umar that lands on the shoulder before the round ends.
Round 2: Merab is the more cautious one as he tries to keep distance. He charges with a right. Umar counters with a punch. They get into a brawl at the end of the first minute where Umar got in better punches. Another big shot from Umar. They settle down a bit for the next minute before Merab goes for a takedown, but Umar counters to take him down instead. Umar has hands across Merab’s waist as he back into the cage walls. A bit of scramble near the cage was enough to get them back to their feet. Merab lands a big right. Umar lands a punch and a knee combo. Merab’s attempts another takedown but they went back to trading punches. Merab lands a good right. They get into a clinch after this. Umar lands some knees during the clinch. Quick hands from Umar. Merab lands a big left. More quick hands from both men gets us to the end of the round.
Round 3: Umar throws front kicks, but that was the only action in the front 30 seconds. Merab then goes for a takedown, but Umar defends. Merab sneaks in a big right in between. Umar backs him away by attempting a combo. Merab lands an uppercut while Umar lands a combo. Merab now pushes Umar back with a combo. Umar defends another takedown. He slips trying to evade a punch. Merab lands a punch. Umar lands an inside calf kick. Jabs from both sides as they try to counter each other. Umar manages to defend another takedown before Merab finally got him down once with a spinebuster like swift movement. Merab takes down Umar once again but Umar counters him quickly to get a waist lock. They scramble near the walls before getting back into the middle. Umar lands another inside calf kick. Merab holds him off on a takedown for a few seconds before some showboating leads to a suplex from Umar.
Round 4: Merab attempts to push Umar back a couple of times before he goes for a takedown. Umar lands a right. Merab gets another takedown and lands a punch. Umar goes for a jab. Merab pushes him to the walls with another takedown attempt. Umar looks a bit fatigued. Merab lands a big right. Umar lands a high kick. Umar defends another takedown. They trade shots. Lots of jabs and counters from both men. Merab lands a right couple of times in quick succession. He goes for a single leg, but Umar lands counter shots. Merab keeps coming after him. Umar tries to slow him down with single leg attempts. Merab keeps throwing big shotts at him. Merab then takes Umar down who is looking worse and worse now. Merab tires him down by pushing him against the cage.
Round 5: Lot of movement but no action in the first 40 seconds. Merab goes for a takedown, but Umar blocks it. Umar lands punches. Merab attempts 3-4 takedowns in a row. Umar has to jab at him to block him. Merab lands a hook and immediately goes for another takedown. Merab pushes Umar to the cage who does well to be on his feet. Umar then lands a punch and goes for a failed takedown. Merab lands a jab. Umar lands a couple of body kicks. Merab goes for takedown once again which leads to some scramble. More exchanges between them. Merab lands a couple of big shots before getting another takedown to take over GSP’s takedown record in UFC history. He ends the round with a German suplex.
Official Decision: Merab Dvalishvilli won via unanimous decision(49-46, 48-47, 48-47).