Merab Dvalishvili shocked everyone by beating Sean O’Malley at Dana White‘s dream project Noche UFC last weekend. As the new champion, the Georgian has already received a callout from number one contender Umar Nurmagomedov. While fans get ready for the future announcement, Cory Sandhagen has already given his prediction for this potential fight.
At Noche UFC, Merab Dvalishvili came into the fight with a strategy and executed it with perfection. It was an all-out dominant performance where Dvalishvili outclassed his opponent everywhere. However, according to Sandhagen, Dvalishvili won’t be able to do the same against Umar Nurmagomedov. The fighter has also laid down the reasons for his opinion.
Umar is just a way, way better striker and so ya, that’s going to be really hard for Merab. So I guess I would go for Umar just because his striking is so much different…And then Merab’s grappling isn’t necessarily tailored towards holding people down and Umar is a much better grappler than O’Malley.
Cory Sandhagen via Fanatics view
Umar Nurmagomedov secured his top bantamweight contender spot by defeating Sandhagen earlier this year. Against all odds, the Dagestani put on a masterclass and outpointed the ‘Sandman’ with ease. After the win, he immediately called out to fight the winner of O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili.
👀Cory Sandhagen believes Umar Nurmagomedov will beat Merab Dvalishvili if they fight:
“Umar is just a way, way better striker and so ya, that’s going to be really hard for Merab. So I guess I would go for Umar just because his striking is so much different
And then Merab’s… pic.twitter.com/i88K8CraDL
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) September 19, 2024
The Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s protege has a unique blend of striking as well as conventional Dagestani wrestling. Umar Nurmagomedov was also present at the UFC Noche event and congratulated Dvalishvili for his win. The newly crowned champion is not a fan of Nurmagomedov’s rise to popularity and isn’t fully convinced to fight him.
‘Company man’ Merab Dvalishvili gives an update on fighting Umar Nurmagomedov
Merab Dvalishvili has repeatedly criticized Umar Nurmagomedov for becoming the number one title contender. The Georgian believes former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo is better suited for his first championship defense. Team Khabib is confused about Dvalishvili’s attitude towards Umar Nurmagomedov, but they are confident about the upcoming title fight.
Merab Dvalishvili‘s hesitation to fight Umar Nurmagomedov has also started a debate in the MMA community. Some have agreed with the new champion, others have accused him of being scared. As the controversy took momentum, Dvalishvili has now mentioned that he’s ready for whatever the promotion wants him to do.
Guys- I hear all of you! I am a company man. Whoever the UFC puts in front of me , I will fight as I always do ,even if I don’t think they deserve the next shot. Let’s Go
Merab Dvalishvili via X
Guys- I hear all of you! I am a company man. Whoever the UFC puts in front of me , I will fight as I always do ,even if I don’t think they deserve the next shot. Let’s Go 🦾
— Merab “The Machine” Dvalishvili (@MerabDvalishvil) September 18, 2024
This recent debate has already given a kickstart to the title rivalry between Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov. Recently, the champion questioned Nurmagomedov about his nationality which forced Islam Makhachev to step in and clear the air. Going forward the clash between the Dagestani and Georgian is expected to create a massive hype.
