Saba Lazishvili took a wrestling match against Urijah Faber on one day of notice, came from behind to win it in his RAF debut, and then pointed straight at Umar Nurmagomedov. Hours after the win on Saturday, Nov. 14, he sent a message to the Dagestani bantamweight that was short and very clear.
“Umar Nurmagomedov, I’ll beat your ass 1 on 1. Come here at RAF. Just tell me date,” Lazishvili said in a clip shared by Championship Rounds on X.
That’s the callout. The business news came from Merab Dvalishvili, who has been in Lazishvili’s corner, literally and figuratively, through all of this. Speaking to the Georgian outlet Mindia, in comments relayed by Championship Rounds, Merab said both major promotions have come calling.
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“PFL contacted us and offered him a contract to fight. The UFC also wants to sign him,” Dvalishvili said, adding that the UFC has a program where athletes can develop with the company. “We’ll probably choose the UFC.”
Merab also acknowledged the obvious. Lazishvili hasn’t had a fight yet, and the appeal of the UFC route, as Merab framed it, is the chance to build a career from the ground up inside the organization.
How a Wrestling Match Turned Into Contract Talk
Lazishvili’s name has been moving fast since his brawl with Usman Nurmagomedov, the incident that had Dana White fielding questions about his UFC future, according to an MMA Sucka report. Somewhere in that stretch, an RAF spot opened up opposite Faber, a UFC Hall of Famer, and Lazishvili said yes with roughly 24 hours to prepare.
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He was behind in the match and came back to win, per footage from RAF Wrestling USA. Championship Rounds also posted video of Merab losing his mind on the sidelines while his friend closed it out, which is about the most Merab thing imaginable. The man has the cardio of a hummingbird and apparently the emotional range to match.
The Usman situation hasn’t gone away either. A video posted to Instagram by zematang shows a fan walking up to Lazishvili and asking who would win between him and Usman. Lazishvili didn’t take the bait: “Maybe later, we’ll see.” The fan kept pushing, calling Usman “the best,” and Lazishvili let it go.
So he passed on Usman, and then by the same night he was calling out Usman’s cousin Umar. Nobody has said whether Umar plans to answer, and RAF hasn’t announced anything.
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What’s Next
The immediate question is paperwork. Merab is leaning UFC, the PFL has a real offer on the table, and Lazishvili still has zero professional fights on his ledger. Signing with the UFC on a development track, with Dvalishvili as a training partner and mentor, would put him in one of the best rooms in the sport before he ever throws a punch for money.
Here’s my take. I’m fully in on this guy as a wrestling story. Accepting Faber on one day’s notice and winning from behind is the kind of thing that earns you a second look, and I love a debut that goes sideways before it goes right. But calling out Umar Nurmagomedov before your first pro fight is a big swing, and a grappling match at RAF won’t answer anything about what Lazishvili can do in a cage. Take the UFC deal, get a real fight booked, and let the Nurmagomedov family wait.
