Why Umar Nurmagomedov would rather see Sean O’Malley get a title shot after UFC 324

Story byPhoto by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLCJamie TheodosiThu, January 22, 2026 at 2:48 PM UTC·2 min readUmar Nurmagomedov has picked a side. Merab Dvalishvili is expected to challenge Petr Yan this year after the Russian ended his record-breaking bantamweight title reign at UFC 323 in December. However, Saturday’s event – the first of the 2026 season and the start of the Paramount era – presents an opportunity for some names to change that. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAfter Umar Nurmagomedov faces Deiveson Figueiredo in the UFC 324 prelims, Sean O’Malley will fight Song Yadong. Despite his two recent losses to Dvalishvili, ‘Suga’ believes his history with Yan could allow him to skip ahead of the Georgian. And he is not alone in that view. One of his top rivals at 135 pounds is backing him too…Umar Nurmagomedov backs Sean O’Malley for title shot over Merab DvalishviliPhoto by Elsa/Getty ImagesNurmagomedov’s only loss came against Dvalishvili at UFC 311, but he has bounced back since then. At UFC 324, the Dagestani has a chance to pick up a second straight win since that title defeat. Still, he does not expect to be in line for Yan’s first defence. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementWith the next title challenger likely shaping his path if he wins this weekend, Nurmagomedov spoke to TNT Sports about who he’d like the UFC to choose.“My prediction after this fight?