Umar Nurmagomedov aims to ease Islam Makhachev's nerves with 'perfect' UFC 311 title win

Umar Nurmagomedov is tasked with being the opener in a month of three major championship fights for his team.

Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) is set to challenge Merab Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC) for the bantamweight title in Saturday’s UFC 311 co-main event at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. (ESPN+ pay-per-view, EPSNews, ESPN+), then in the very next fight, his teammate Islam Makhachev will put his lightweight belt on the line against Arman Tsarukyan.

It will be the first time in UFC history when one teammate challenges for gold in a co-headliner, while another teammate attempts to defend in the main event. To raise the stakes even further, Nurmagomedov’s brother, Usman, will attempt to defend his Bellator lightweight strap vs. Paul Hughes at Road to Dubai on Jan. 25, and told MMA Junkie this week he’s “stressed” about the situation.

Nurmagomedov shares similar feelings, and he seemingly has the most pressure as the first in the trio to step into the cage, and the only one who hasn’t tasted championship glory.

In addition to taking the title from Dvalishvili, it’s a major priority for Nurmagomedov to do it as cleanly as possible. He wants to do his part to alleviate any anxiety for Makhachev (26-1 MMA, 15-1 UFC), who will be walking to the octagon against Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) minutes after his bout concludes.

“It’s going to be a hard night for our team,” Nurmagomedov told MMA Junkie. “Two fights for the title very close together. It’s going to be nervous. Islam is going to be nervous watching my fight, but I will fight perfect. I will try to not even miss one punch, to give him good energy.”

Although there is an immense weight in kicking off this historic month for his team, which is headed by Nurmagomedov’s cousin Khabib and Javier Mendez, in a positive fashion, there is also an advantage. Nurmagomedov will be able to get his fight out of the way without as many worries about managing his emotions.

Still, though, Nurmagomedov said the significance of this stretch is front of mind for everyone, and he echoed his brother Usman’s comments about the turbulent feelings that come with it.

“It’s always (harder watching them fight),” Nurmagomedov said. “When you’re fighting, you can control everything. And when someone else is fighting – your brother, your close friends – you can just give him advice. Fighting (yourself is) easy, more easy. Any fighter will tell you.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.