Merab Dvalishvili’s recent rise to the UFC bantamweight title has sparked intense demand for his next opponent. Dvalishvili won the title against Sean O’Malley at Noche UFC on the occasion of Mexican Independence Day. Umar Nurmagomedov is the next in line. Nevertheless, the new champion has remained hesitant to accept the Dagestani fighter as the next contender.
Umar Nurmagomedov defeated Cory Sandhagen in August to become the next in line. The cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov has been steadily climbing the ranks. However, Dvalishvili feels Deiveson Figueiredo has fought better competition to earn the title shot. As such, Nurmagomedov made a bold declaration stating no other options exist for the bantamweight champion.
Merab doesn’t have any other options, his only choice is to fight with me I’m the next contender to fight for the UFC Bantamweight Championship. InshaAllah.
Umar Nurmagomedov via X
Team Khabib believes his time has come, and they’re ready to challenge the newly crowned champion. Javier Mendez, head coach of AKA, recently spoke about the situation, making it clear that they want Merab Dvalishvili next. Even lightweight champion Islam Makhachev called for the bantamweight wrestling showdown to happen.
Merab doesn’t have any other options, his only choice is to fight with me I’m the next contender to fight for the UFC Bantamweight Championship
InshaAllah ☝🏼 pic.twitter.com/eykg41bW3z— Umar Nurmagomedov (@UNmgdv) September 30, 2024
The title fight will likely not happen this year. Rumors suggest that the UFC will go to Saudi Arabia early next year. Considering the popularity of Dagestani fighters in the Middle East, it is likely that UFC will push for a showdown there. Meanwhile, the bantamweight champion had a few harsh words for the young Dagestani prospect.
Merab Dvalishvili calls out ‘liar’ Umar Nurmagomedov
Merab Dvalishvili has yet to deem Umar Nurmagomedov as a legitimate threat. He also criticized the Dagestani fighter’s performance against Cory Sandhagen. He cited that Nurmagomedov couldn’t finish Sandhagen, but his friend Aljamain Sterling effortlessly finished him. Since then, things have gotten a bit heated.
Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov (via X)Nurmagomedov accused the new champion of ducking him on two separate occasions. One of them happened last year. However, Merab Dvalishvili revealed there was never a second instance. As such, ‘The Machine’ challenged the Dagestani fighter to showcase proof before leveling serious accusations.
Umar Now not only are you disrespectful, you are a liar. If UFC offered you to fight with me 2 times – show the fans the contract and the dates. So if the UFC is gifting you the title defense – wtf are you talking trash and with disrespect? I’m done with you now because you keep lying – you lost my respect as a man and a martial artist.
Merab Dvalishvili via X
Umar Now not only are you disrespectful , you are a liar. If UFC offered you to fight with me 2 times – show the fans the contract and the dates. They offered me to fight you right after I beat Petr Yan with a broken hand in 6 weeks. I accepted the fight verbally even thought i…
— Merab “The Machine” Dvalishvili (@MerabDvalishvil) September 29, 2024
Things have unexpectedly gotten more heated than anyone would have anticipated. Even the rivalry with Sean O’Malley didn’t have this much heat. It had funny memes and viral skits. However, for some reason, Dvalishvili appears to be angered by Nurmagomedov’s actions. As the rivalry gains steam, only time will tell who comes out on top.
