Dvalishvili went from ducking Nurmagomedov to demanding him as soon as possible. What changed his mind? All the disrespect from Umar.
The UFC kicks off its 2025 pay-per-view year with a bang on January 18th with UFC 311, featuring two big title fights: lightweight champ Islam Makhachev rematches Arman Tsarukyan and bantamweight champ Merab Dvalishvili defends his belt against Umar Nurmagomedov.
Merab vs. Umar is pretty surprising. Since beating Sean O’Malley back in September, Dvalishvili has been asking to fight anyone but Nurmagomedov, saying Khabib’s cousin was only getting a shot because of his last name. “The Machine” called for Deiveson Figueiredo, then he called for Petr Yan when Yan beat Figueiredo.
“Earn your title shot like the rest of us whose last names don’t give us gifts,” he said in a humorous Instagram video.
Do not drag your country or nation into a personal conflict with me.
When you meet me in person, do not turn away. https://t.co/fIQD2HiQdU
— Umar Nurmagomedov (@UNmgdv) November 25, 2024
“A coward will always find an excuse for his retreat – Georgian proverb,” Umar wrote on Twitter in response to all this.
“This is why I lost respect for Umar and [his manager] Ali a long time ago,” Dvalishvili responded. “They play dirty games and write stupid s— disrespecting my country and my people. Keep this same energy when I see you in person – see what happens.”
It was this kind of disrespect towards Georgia (which is currently going through a national crisis with tens of thousands in the streets protesting the results of their last election) which led Merab to storm into UFC CEO Dana White’s office on Tuesday night to demand the fight ASAP.
Makhachev vs Tsarukyan and Dvalishvili vs Nurmagomedov is LIVE January 18th from @intuitdome, California! #UFC311 pic.twitter.com/XZuAFUYAyC
— danawhite (@danawhite) December 5, 2024
“Merab came into the office late last night and told us he’s tired of listening to Umar disrespect him and that he wants to make this fight as soon as possible,” White said on Instagram of the second title fight. “We called Umar, he was sleeping in Dagestan, and he said, ‘Hell yes! Anywhere, any time.’”
This fight is a month and a half away, and Umar just revealed he’s been recovering from a broken arm. Is Merab hoping Nurmagomedov will come to Los Angeles in less than optimal shape for their fight? If both men end up being equal in wrestling, “The Machine” still has his cardio to lean on … something Umar may not have at 100% with just six weeks to prepare.
How excited are you to see Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 in January? Sound off in the comments below, Maniacs!