What did the five (Georgian) fingers say to the face?
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili and No. 1 contender Umar Nurmagomedov will collide in the co-main event of the first UFC pay-per-view of 2025, UFC 311, on Jan. 18, 2025. Still, the two 135ers have been intensely jawing at each other for several months … and it’s only getting more intense.
The two Bantamweights participated in the UFC 311 pre-fight press conference last Friday in Las Vegas, and things got very heated. Before the presser, the two confronted each other, resulting in their separation. Then, during the press conference, Dvalishvili yelled at Nurmagomdev for basically the entire event because the undefeated fighter accused the champion of avoiding the fight.
Bad blood rolled over into UFC 310, as “The Machine” had to be separated by security for going after a fan, even though the champion believed it was all part of Nurmagomedov’s plan and labeled it “Dagestani dirty tricks and provocation.”
Today (Tues., Dec. 10, 2025), Dvalishvili sent Nurmadomedov a warning on Ariel Helwani’s show that the undefeated fighter better apologize after their upcoming scrap.
“He may get a slap after the fight,” Dvalishvili said. “The fight in the Octagon is not a real fight; it’s a sport. “If Umar does not apologize to me, it will happen. Even if I have to go to Dagestan, I will go. I love Dagestan; I have so many friends there. I respect the Dagestan people; they are good people, but Umar made a big mistake with me, and Umar has to pay for this. I still respect Team Khabib and Islam; I only have a problem with Umar.”
One might think Dvalishvili is just trying to sell the fight, as most of the time, when two fighters enter the cage with bad blood, they will hug and make up after the contest. However, with how “The Machine” has been snapping at fans every time someone talks trash, he might just power slap Nurmagomedov.