Umar Nurmagomedov is staying busy as he waits for UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili.
The 18-0 MMA fighter faces two-time Bellator champion Eduardo Dantas in a grappling match that headlines ADXC 7 in Abu Dhabi, the promotion announced Monday. The card goes down at Mubadala Arena on Oct. 25, a day before UFC 308 lands in the United Arab Emirates.
Nurmagomedov hopes to get a shot at newly crowned 135-pound champion Merab Dvalishvili after winning six in a row under the UFC banner, capped off by a unanimous decision over Cory Sandhagen this past August. Nurmagomedov’s first two UFC wins came via submission, with seven total throughout his MMA career.
Dantas, a black belt in jiu-jitsu and 23-8 in MMA, has also won seven fights by way of submission, including a second-round arm-triangle choke to tap Zach Makovsky to win a Bellator belt in 2012. He then successfully defended it with a rear-naked choke of Anthony Leone.
ADXC 7 also features a match between jiu-jitsu world champion Isaque Bahiense and Bruno Lima, as well as Jansen Gomes vs. Uanderson Ferreira.
