By FCF Staff

Umar Nurmagomedov is a sizeable favorite on the betting lines to defeat Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311, and it seems clear you won’t find him disagreeing with those odds.

Nurmagmedov (18-0) has been booked to fight the new bantamweight champ at the January 18th event, after going 6-0 to date in the UFC. In his last outing this past August, the 28-year-old defeated longtime contender Cory Sandhagen by unanimous decision.

In a recent interview Nurmagomedov did for the UFC, the Dagestani fighter weighed-in on how the fight will go. According to the rising star, he can’t see how Dvalishvili will defend the bantamweight title at UFC 311 (quotes via MMA Fighting.com).

“He will not [beat me],” Nurmagomedov said. “I can’t imagine how he will beat me. He can’t hold me. OK, maybe he will take me down one time, but he has to hold me there. He can’t. He has to punch. It’s not going to be how he did always. I’m not the person who will go crazy.

“But I can wrestle, too. Don’t forget about it. But I can finish. If he gives me his back, I’m going to choke you. Be careful.”

The 33-year-old Dvalishvili (18-4) will be competing for the first time since he defeated Sean O’Malley by unanimous decision in September to win the bantamweight title. The Georgian fighter has won 11 straight.

UFC 311 will be hosted by the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.