Manager shares X-ray image of Umar Nurmagomedov’s hand after surgery

Umar Nurmagomedov told Joe Rogan following his competitive unanimous decision loss to Merab Dvalishvili in the UFC 311 co-main event that he thought he broke his left hand early in the fight.

Nurmagomedov’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, shared an image of an X-ray on social media early Thursday that confirmed the extent of the injury after the 135-pound contender underwent successful hand surgery in Dubai on Wednesday.

The No. 3-ranked bantamweight contender isn’t expected to return to action until the second half of the year.

Earlier in the week, Nurmagomedov received a 180-day medical suspension from the California Athletic Commission and can’t compete before then or until he gets clearance from a physician for his fractured hand that had a screw put in place.

It’s difficult to say how much Nurmagomedov’s injury factored into momentum swinging Dvalishvili’s way during the 25-minute matchup, but the injury occurred within the first 10 minutes of action on Saturday.

Nurmagomedov entered his bout with Dvalishvili with an 18-0 pro record, was the betting favourite and got off to a strong start in the bout.

The 29-year-old challenger had won Round 1 on two of three judges’ scorecards and won Round 2 on all three scorecards before Dvalishvili took over and swept the final three rounds.

Nurmagomedov said during his post-fight interview that despite injuring his hand he felt he had done enough to win the first three rounds, stating outright he did not think he lost the fight.

Nurmagomedov’s output throughout the five rounds remained consistent – he threw between 46 and 49 significant strike attempts in each round and landed between 18 and 25 in each round – though Dvalishvili had increased success with takedowns and cage control as the bout progressed.

Both athletes earned a Fight-of-the-Night bonus for their efforts, and it would not be surprising to see a rematch at some point in the future.

It was Dvalishvili’s first title defence since becoming champion in September when he beat Sean O’Malley by five-round unanimous decision at UFC 306.

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