Umar Nurmagomedov's manager advised him not to fight at UFC 311

Undefeated bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov will fight for the undisputed championship against titleholder Merab Dvalishvili in the UFC 311 co-main event on Jan. 18.  On Nov. 30, "Young Eagle" revealed that he fractured his arm and wouldn't be able to compete this month.  

In an interview with ESPN MMA, Nurmagomedov detailed the injury, his training around it, and accepting the title fight anyway.  

“After I was in Dagestan, I punch my arm,” Nurmagomedov told ESPN MMA. “I go to show the doctor and I showed them. They did, like, not an MRI but when they check bone? An X-Ray? They did X-ray and they said, ‘You broke [your arm]’.

"After 20 days I go again.  Even when I was broken, I was running. I want to still be in shape, you know. Even that time I try run, try to do shadow boxing, try to be in shape. And after 20 days I go again, and it’s become much better.

“Even my punches and other things, I do grapple, I can do wrestling class. Everything I can do. Then I called my manager Ali [Abdelaziz] and I said to him ‘hey, I want to fight’. He said ‘but we said we’re injured’ and I said ‘I told you, take this fight’.

Nurmagomedov's manager advised him not to take the fight, but the 29-year old Russian insisted.  

"My manager and my bother said, 'Hey, you're crazy.  You can't fight like that.'  And they said, 'No.'  They asked again.  They called me again.  'Will you fight with Merab?'  Of course.  I already asked to," Nurmagomedov said.