Dvalishvili believes the incident with a fan at UFC 310 was a result of a deliberate provocation organized by Umar Nurmagomedov’s team in order to make him look bad.
Merab Dvalishvili is pushing back against reports that he attacked a random fan out of nowhere at UFC 310.
Yes, the UFC bantamweight champion did indeed get into an altercation with someone in the stands at the UFC’s final pay-per-view of the year. And yes, it was the latest in a string of incidents where Merab has fought or nearly fought non-fighters at events. But according to “The Machine,” this was no random fan.
“The man who grabbed Merab’s arm physically and insulted him is not just a fan, but a teammate and friend of Umar [Nurmagomedov] and Dagestanis,” a video posted by Dvalishvili declared. “You can see Merab walking his friend Aljo when guy grabs his arm and starts insulting him with phone in hand. Turns out he is not just fan from Kazakhstan but a provoker. And as Merab said, he was insulting him.”
More lies, disrespect, and deliberate provocations from Umar’s team. Here’s the real story … pic.twitter.com/btwTzJrC0D
— Merab “The Machine” Dvalishvili (@MerabDvalishvil) December 8, 2024
“Later that day Umar posts stories with the guy and his squad,” the voice continues as a true crime soundtrack drones in the background. “And there is even more pictures from years ago with him and Dagestanis. Media says Merab got into it with a fan, and the guy himself said Merab said something about Shavkat while Kazakhstan media promoted it like Merab disrespected Shavkat. And the guy is hero.”
“But obviously this isn’t coincidence. Merab is good with Shavkat and all this happened in 15 seconds. This was just Dagestani dirty tricks and provocation.”
When talking about the incident following UFC 310, Dana White said a lot of fighters constantly believe there’s a conspiracy afoot to dethrone them. We thought that was more of a general statement, but it really feels like Dvalishvili believes there’s a complicated network of saboteurs and provocateurs out there working to undermine his ability to hold onto the belt.
We don’t doubt that the fan Merab punched was a Nurmagomedov fan. Odds are always good that it’s gonna be the fans of your opponent that are gonna yell stuff at you during events. But if you’re known for hauling off and attacking anyone who insults you or Georgia, is it really some grand plot when someone gets you to haul off and attack them?
Merab already let Sean O’Malley’s team anger him to the point where the referee had to remind him more than once DURING THE FIGHT to get his s— together and keep fighting. At this point, he’s proven so easy to manipulate that it would be foolish for his opponents to not do it.
So expect more craziness and conspiracy over the coming month leading into Merab and Umar’s fight at UFC 311 on January 18th — if it still happens after Merab attacks someone else he shouldn’t.