Heavy is the head that wears the crown (belt). Many fighters enter the foray when they win the championship. Merab Dvalishvili won the UFC gold at UFC 306 and immediately claimed Umar Nurmagomedov unworthy of a title shot. It has made the fanbase accuse the Georgian fighter of ducking the bantamweight contender.
The two have had some lively social media to-and-fro on it. Just last week, ‘The Machine’ justified that there’s a method to his madness in running things back with Sean O’Malley. A fan asked if new bantamweight titleholder Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC) is ducking Numagomedov. It is safe to say that the champion lost it in the discourse!
Let’s boo to this guy! …I don’t scared of no one, only God. Where is this guy? He taking fight, he scared! He’s fighting somebody else, where is he? Where is he? Tell me! He wants to get knocked down from somebody and then he’s gonna make excuse…I don’t make decision, I never make decision. If Dana White tell me I have to fight Umar, I’m fighting Umar. But, you know what? Umar don’t deserve to fight me! Sean O’Malley deserve to fight me…
Merab Dvalishvili during Friday’s UFC 308 pay-per-view (PPV) fan Q&A Session in Abu Dhabi; H/T: SBNation Network
A champion and former titleholder were on hand Friday for UFC 308 weigh-ins. The official fan weigh-ins streamed from the Etihad Arena at 10 am ET. During the frame, Alexander Volkanovski and ‘Machine’ took part in a UFC 308 fan Q&A. UFC commentator John Gooden moderated the session at the Arena. Dvalishvili also went viral dapping up with friend Ilia Topuria before his interviews yesterday.
Merab gets into shouting match with Umar supporter at #UFC308 fan Q&A pic.twitter.com/ikkV0jsQST
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) October 25, 2024
As the only other Georgian champion apart from Topuria, Dvalishvili wants a perfect preset., He, Aljamain Sterling, and the Serra-Longo Fight Team present that he needs recovery and prep time for Umar Nurmagomedov’s style. However, it’s clear that he is on the back foot about it all. It certainly won’t do him any favors going forward with the fans.
Why Merab Dvalishvili is ready for Sean O’Malley in November but not Umar Nurmagomedov
UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili wants a full training camp for Umar Nurmagomedov. Having seen his friend Aljo coerced into a title billing and lost, he doesn’t want the same. The No. 1 seed for the 135-pound gold became a natural wrestler-vs-wrestler challenge when Dvalishvili outsmarted and outwrestled O’Malley.
Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) claimed the No. 1 contender bench over Cory Sandhagen in his first UFC headliner (Fight Night: UFC on ABC 7) in August. Ever since, the Georgian has been hyper-aware of his way too dominant ground game. But what upset Umar Nurmagomedov and many others was O’Malley’s offer of a rematch in November. Merab Dvalishvili explains the reasoning behind his call.
I already fought him, and it’s easy to come back because we’re both in the same situation, …But when somebody else has been ready for me, preparing for me, that’s different story. That’s why I told him we could do quick turnaround for November. That shouldn’t be a problem because I was ready to fight O’Malley or ‘Chito’ Vera three weeks after I beat Henry Cejudo, but to fight somebody new, somebody with a different style. Yeah, I need time. I need two or three months.
Merab Dvalishvili to MMA Junkie’s Farah Hannoun at UAE Warriors 55 in Abu Dhabi
Even before he won the title, Dvalishvili had dismissed Nurmagomedov as a legitimate contender. There’s the off-chance Deiveson Figueiredo draws the golden ticket after his war with Petr Yan at UFC Macau. There is also the chance Umar gets the shot somehow. He might end up being Dvalishvili’s first barrier to keeping gold. However, he might not be his next matchup with what the rumor mills have in the air.
