Umar vs. Merab 2? Dana White strikes ‘deal’ for Nurmagomedov rematch after UFC 321

Umar Nurmagomedov wants a rematch (and revenge) against Merab Dvalishvili.

They first went to war atop the UFC 311 pay-per-view (PPV) event earlier this year in Inglewood, Calif., with Nurmagomedov losing

a competitive decision. Working in his favor is the fact that UFC is running out of bantamweight contenders, thanks in part to the dominance of Dvalishvili.

“I have a question for you, Dana,” Nurmagomedov said at the UFC 321 press conference (transcribed by MMA Fighting). “Can I ask? It’s possible me and Mario is a contender fight?”

“Could this fight be the contender fight?” White replied. “Go out there and put on a show on Saturday that makes people go, ‘Damn, one of these guys should be fighting for the title next.’”

“Okay, I’m going to do it,” Nurmagomedov said, to which White responded, “Deal.”

Nurmagomedov (18-1) will look to blast his way back into the win column against streaking bantamweight contender Mario Bautista as part of the UFC 321 main card on Sat. (Oct. 25) at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Like Nurmagomedov, the 16-2 Bautista can also position himself for a 135-pound title shot with an impressive showing at UFC 321.

Nurmagomedov is currently a massive betting favorite.

LIVE! Watch UFC 321 PPV On ESPN+ Here!

UNDISPUTED HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to pay-per-view (PPV) action on Sat., Oct. 25, 2025, with a blockbuster title fight set to headline UFC 321 from inside Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. In UFC 321’s PPV main event, Heavyweight champion, Tom Aspinall, defends his title against top-ranked contender, Ciryl Gane, in a high-stakes, five-round bout. UFC 321’s PPV co-main event features a women’s Strawweight title showdown between Virna Jandiroba vs. Mackenzie Dern. UFC 321 will also showcase a Bantamweight clash between Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Mario Bautista, a Heavyweight bout pitting Alexander Volkov vs. Jailton Almeida, a Light Heavyweight matchup featuring Aleksandar Rakic vs. Azamat Murzakanov, and much more! UFC 321’s start time is scheduled for 10 a.m. ET (“Early Prelims”), 12 p.m. ET (“Prelims” undercard), and 2 p.m. ET (PPV main card).

Don’t miss a single second of face punching action!

Where to Buy:

• Check price at STREAM UFC 321

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 321 fight card on fight day, starting with the early ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 10 a.m. ET, followed by the UFC 321 PPV main card start time at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN+ PPV.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC 321: “Aspinall vs. Gane” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated and finalized UFC 321 fight card and PPV lineup click here.