Umar Nurmagomedov receives immediate callout from ‘The Machine’ after signing with UFC

Umar Nurmagomedov has been immediately called out by Merab Dvalishvili after it was revealed that he has signed with the UFC.

The highly thought of younger cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov has been making waves for a while now, accumulating a 12-0 professional mixed martial arts record prior to his entry into the UFC. The expectations are obviously going to be high regarding what he can accomplish with the promotion, and it doesn’t seem as if the UFC is going to waste any time in booking him.

With UFC 249 being right around the corner it seems unlikely that Umar Nurmagomedov will join Khabib on the card in Brooklyn, but with the aforementioned Dvalishvili making his intentions clear, it could be a possibility.

@UmarNmgdv 🙋🏻‍♂️Congrats brother! Welcome to the UFC. I would like to be the first to welcome you to the Octagon on April 18th #ufc249 🦾@ufc
🙋🏻‍♂️поздравляю брат! добро пожаловать в UFC. я хотел быть первым, чтобы приветствовать тебя в восьмиугольник 18 апреля 🦾

— Merab “The Machine” Dvalishvili (@MerabDvalishvil) February 27, 2020

“Congrats brother! Welcome to the UFC,” Dvalishvili wrote on Twitter. “I would like to be the first to welcome you to the Octagon on April 18th”

The 29-year-old Georgian currently holds a 10-4 professional record and a 3-2 record in the UFC, bouncing back from two straight losses to string together decision wins over Terrion Ware, Brad Katona and Casey Kenney — with the victory over Kenney taking place just two weeks ago on the UFC Rio Rancho card.

“The Machine” certainly doesn’t appear to be afraid of anybody, and that’s the kind of attitude you need when stepping in there with someone like Umar Nurmagomedov. In the same vein as Khabib, a fight against him is going to be a slog and you’ll need to prepare for every eventuality.

The presence of Russian fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship appears to be growing with each and every passing week and month, which can only be a good thing for the development of mixed martial arts in the East.

There are going to be a whole lot of eyes on Umar Nurmagomedov in the next few months in the lead-up to his first UFC fight, if only to see whether or not he’s capable to rising to the same heights as his cousin.

This article first appeared on BJPENN.com on 2/28/2020.