Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s protege Umar Nurmagomedov has certainly established himself as a threat to the bantamweight crown. In his last bout, Nurmagomedov beat #2 fighter Cory Sandhagen in order to take the top spot. Going forward, Dagestani is eager to get his hands on the bantamweight title, however, Merab Dvalishvili is not a fan of all this.
Nurmagomedov suffered an array of criticism before the Sandhagen fight, but he was able to silence them. The fighter delivered a masterclass against the top opponent, dominating him everywhere. During a recent interview, number one championship contender Merab Dvalishvili was asked about Nurmagomedov’s ability to compete for the title. However, the fighter snapped and walked away during the interview.
Why it will be Umar Nurmagomedov. Why it’s not Figueiredo? Why? Because Umar says ‘UFC told me like this?’ So man, I don’t trust this guy. Who the f*** is Umar?
Merab Dvalishvili via Red Corner MMA
Dvalishvili disliked Nurmagomedov’s ascent and argued that the UFC unfairly promoted the fighter. The Georgian thought that the main cause of Umar Nurmagomedov’s unjust rise was Khabib Nurmagomedov’s influence. Dvalishvili has claimed that Nurmagomedov isn’t worthy of the championship shot anytime soon and that the hype surrounding him is exaggerated.
“Who the f*** is Umar!?”
A throwback to our unfinished interview with Merab in August.
‘The Machine’ suddenly walked off when the conversation turned to the next title contender… pic.twitter.com/sEIA5kS2ye
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) September 9, 2024
Dvalishvili is currently aiming for his upcoming title fight with Sean O’Malley this weekend at Noche UFC. The grand event is taking place at the iconic Las Vegas Sphere, which has over $20 million on the line. Going into the fight, Dvalishvili is confident to become the new champion. If that happens it wouldn’t be surprising to see him defend his title against Umar Nurmagomedov in the future.
In anticipation of UFC Noche, Dvalishvili also embraced Mexican culture. Alexa Grasso was particularly impressed with his enthusiasm. Considering, Dvalishvili is headlining the Mexican Independence Day event, fans would be appreciative of the effort made by the Georgian.
Umar Nurmagomedov played his cards correctly and got to the position where he is now. Allegedly, many of the top bantamweights refused Nurmagomedov until Cory Sandhagen accepted it. Sandhagen was promised a title shot by Dana White but Nurmagomedov crashed those plans.
The ascent of Nurmagomedov is comparable to that of current champion Sean O’Malley, who defeated Petr Yan straight away to earn a shot at the title. In a highly unpredictable sport like the UFC, fighters frequently make fortunate decisions. But for now, Nurmagomedov is going for the crown, and he thinks Merab Dvalishvili should quit criticizing him.
A true champion don’t choose opponent
Umar Nurmagomedov via X
Like Merab Dvalishvili’s remarks, former champion Petr Yan also doesn’t think Umar Nurmagomedov has anything special as a fighter. However, O’Malley is eager to face the undefeated Dagestani. According to ‘Suga’, defeating someone from Team Khabib would be a significant milestone in his professional career. It’d be interesting to see how the UFC handles all of this in the future.
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