In his first statement after exiting the octagon following Dvalishvili’s (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) unanimous decision win to retain the bantamweight title on Saturday, Nurmagomedov (18-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) said he has “no excuses” for failing to get his hand raised for the first time in his career.

Although some may not appreciate his fighting style, Merab Dvalishvili outlasted Umar Nurmagomedov to win a five-round decision in the first defense of his UFC bantamweight title in the UFC 311 co-headliner Saturday night.

UFC 311 was a wild ride. Islam Makhachev and Jiri Prochazka were among the four main card acts to score stoppages. Even the one fight that went the distance was memorable as Merab Dvalishvili showed inspiring will against Umar Nurmagomedov.