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Merab Dvalishvili’s Coach Erupts Over Nurmagomedov’s Bizarre Blame Game After UFC 311!

Merab Dvalishvili's Coach Erupts Over Nurmagomedov's Bizarre Blame Game After UFC 311! Merab Dvalishvili’s coach, John Wood, isn’t interested in hearing Umar Nurmagomedov’s excuses. Immediately after suffering the first professional loss…

Merab Dvalishvili’s coach, John Wood, isn’t interested in hearing Umar Nurmagomedov’s excuses.

Immediately after suffering the first professional loss of his mixed martial arts career, Nurmagomedov claimed that he had broken his hand in the opening round of Saturday’s co-main event in Los Angeles. Since then, Nurmagomedov has shared both images and a video of the injury.

Dvalishvili’s Coach throws shade at Nurmagomedov

During an appearance on Submission Radio following Dvalishvili’s impressive performance at UFC 311, Wood poured cold water all over Nurmagomedov’s broken-hand blues, suggesting that the injury didn’t cause the Dagestani to fade in the latter rounds.

“I mean maybe he broke his hand in the first round maybe he didn’t who knows and I don’t think having a broken hand affects your cardio,” Wood said. “Last time I checked I don’t think your hand bone and your your lungs are connected, so I don’t think that that really played into anything and who cares, it’s a fight that’s what happens you know.

“Maybe you throw a punch wrong or somebody turns their head or you hit someone, that is the name of the game you know.”

Nurmagomedov won the first two rounds on two of the three judges’ scorecards but proceeded to surrender the last three stanzas as Dvalishvili’s unrelenting pace proved to be too much for his previously undefeated challenger.

But if you ask Nurmagomedov, he doesn’t think he lost the fight at all.

Merab Dvalishvili Will Be The Bantamweight GOAT If He Beats Umar Nurmagomedov, Asserts Coach

Merab Dvalishvili has made it very clear that he didn’t want to fight as soon as UFC 311 in January and he didn’t want to face Umar Nurmagomedov in his first title defense. The undefeated challenger presents a big threat to the champion but, to Merab’s point, has only beaten one top contender in the […]

Whilst it is a risky fight for Dvalishvili who seemed to get on board with the matchup when he became emotionally invested in beating Nurmagomedov to silence some of the criticism that he has faced, his coach believes that this is a massive opportunity for the Georgian. In fact, John Wood thinks that this fight could separate his fighter as the best 135-pounder of all time.

On one hand, it seems like a very bold claim to state that you can be considered the best ever in your weight class following one successful title defense but that isn’t necessarily the case that Wood is making. A huge reason why Dvalishvili didn’t want to fight Nurmagomedov is because he felt like the challenger hadn’t earned his shot the hard way unlike him who had to accumulate 10 consecutive wins to get his first title fight inside the Octagon.

Many believed that the 33-year old had been the champion in waiting for a long time and if you factor in his wins over top contenders like Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan and José Aldo who he beat before he faced Sean O’Malley for the gold, it presents a much better picture.

“(If) Merab goes out and beats Umar, which I believe he will, I think there’s no question that he’s the bantamweight GOAT,” Wood told Inside Fighting. “And had all those guys that he beat been title defenses, it’s not even a question now. So I think we’re looking at the next bantamweight GOAT here shortly.”

Will Merab Dvalishvili Achieve GOAT Status with a Win Over Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311?

Is Merab Dvalishvili one win away from becoming the bantamweight division’s undisputed GOAT? After delivering a dominant performance against…

Is Merab Dvalishvili one win away from becoming the bantamweight division’s undisputed GOAT?

After delivering a dominant performance against ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley in September, ‘The Machine’ will put his 135-pound title on the line for the first time in the UFC 311 co-main event. Standing across from Dvalishvili will be the division’s No. 2 ranked contender, Umar Nurmagomedov.

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The undefeated Dagestani scored his first title opportunity via a lights-out performance against Cory Sandhagen over the summer.

It’s an incredibly tough test for Dvalishvili’s first defense, but if he comes out on top, he’ll be the greatest bantamweight mixed martial artist of all time. At least, that’s what his coach, John Wood, believes.

“(If) Merab goes out and beats Umar, which I believe he will, I think there’s no question that he’s the bantamweight GOAT,” Wood told Inside Fighting. “And had all those guys that he beat been title defenses, it’s not even a question now. So I think we’re looking at the next bantamweight GOAT here shortly” (h/t MMA Junkie).

Though this is his first time defending the bantamweight belt, Dvalishvili has spent much of his career bagging wins over noteworthy names in one of MMA’s most stacked divisions. Over the last few years, he’s beaten Petr Yan, Henry Cejudo, Jose Aldo, and the aforementioned O’Malley.

Merab Dvalishvili locked in despite recent string of emotional outburts

Ever since his fight with Nurmagomedov was announced, Dvalishvili has been uncharacteristically riled up, his biggest gripe being that the Dagestani simply hasn’t done enough to earn the position he’s in.

Regardless of the Georgian’s recent antics, Wood insists that the champ is locked in and motivated, just as he was in his last three outings.

“He was motivated and emotional by Petr Yan,” Wood said. “He was motivated and emotional with Henry Cejudo at one point. He was motivated and emotional with O’Malley, so it’s no different. That is part of the process that we get into. He doesn’t have to hate somebody or be whatever to be motivated, but it’s part of the process.

“He gets into the fight. He’s there to fight, he’s there to go out there and do battle with the person across the cage. This one, there’s been a little more emotion to it as far as he feels a little disrespected that he is the champion, and that there’s a lot of debate on whether Umar deserves the title shot.”

Khalil Rountree Delivers Motivational Speech To His Teammates

Khalil Rountree gave a good account of himself in the main event of UFC 307 despite being a sizable underdog. Many expected that Alex Pereira would defend his lightweight title in Salt Lake City but the feeling was that the fight would be entertaining for however long it lasted. In the end, the challenger made […]

Continue Reading Khalil Rountree Delivers Motivational Speech To His Teammates at MMA News.

Khalil Rountree gave a good account of himself in the main event of UFC 307 despite being a sizable underdog.

Many expected that Alex Pereira would defend his lightweight title in Salt Lake City but the feeling was that the fight would be entertaining for however long it lasted.

In the end, the challenger made it competitive in the first three rounds but started to slow down and when he did, an incredible display of toughness kept him in there as “Poatan” looked to close the show.

Just days after the biggest fight of his career, Rountree returned to his home base of Syndicate MMA where his coach, John Wood, used his fighter as a role model for others to follow.

“As a coach guys, there’s not much more, obviously the best thing is always to go out and get a win and that’s what we’re always looking to do and have that success but all I ask for you guys, one way or the other, is go out and fight your a** off. Go out on your shield like this man did the other night. Shock the world, proved to a lot of people that he deserves to be there, proved to himself, proved to all of us what we already knew, that he’s one of the best in the world so congratulations.”

Khalil Rountree Tells His Teammates That UFC 307 Setback Had Motivated Him And Should Do The Same For Them

Rountree then gave his own speech where he reflected on the fight and his performance against one of the biggest stars in the sport.

His interviews on fight week both before and after the contest featured a lot of talk about self belief and gratitude.

This was still the case in the words he said days after UFC 307, telling his teammates that he wanted to thank them for their support and share the positives that he was able to take away from the defeat.

“I’ve gone out there and like represented Syndicate. I think that like not only was I the underdog but it just shows like I’ve been training out of this place for so long and we don’t need all this crazy s***, we don’t need all these guys from all around the world. We just need us, we got enough people here on the mats to make sure that we can go and fight for a title and show who we are so yeah. I just wanted to swing by, I saw everybody’s support in the IG group so I thought let me just go say what’s up to everybody.

“But yeah, hell of a fight. Dude was big. Dude was big, I tried to use whatever tools I can but it motivated me. I think like just to know that I went in there and put up the fight that I had but I’m not done. We’re not done here, I know Syndicate we’re gonna keep going so yeah, appreciate you guys.”

Continue Reading Khalil Rountree Delivers Motivational Speech To His Teammates at MMA News.

Merab Dvalishvili’s Coach On Approach To Avoid Against Sean O’Malley: ‘That’s How We’re Gonna Get Knocked Out’

Merab Dvalishvili has won ten consecutive UFC fights to find himself as the number one contender in the bantamweight division. In many of his signature wins over the likes of Henry Cejudo, José Aldo and Petr Yan, it has been his relentless cardio and grappling game that usually sees him dominate opponents. Though the Georgian […]

Continue Reading Merab Dvalishvili’s Coach On Approach To Avoid Against Sean O’Malley: ‘That’s How We’re Gonna Get Knocked Out’ at MMA News.

Merab Dvalishvili has won ten consecutive UFC fights to find himself as the number one contender in the bantamweight division.

In many of his signature wins over the likes of Henry Cejudo, José Aldo and Petr Yan, it has been his relentless cardio and grappling game that usually sees him dominate opponents.

Though the Georgian fighter has shown a willingness to test his striking skills rather than constantly chaining together his takedown attempts, he has been hurt several times whilst standing with other contenders.

While it is important for Dvalishvili to not be too one dimensional in his upcoming title fight with Sean O’Malley at UFC 306, his coach is also very aware that this is where they have the best chance of winning this fight.

John Wood Says It’s Important For Merab Dvalishvili To Use His Grappling Skill Set At UFC 306

O’Malley and Dvalishvili are far too accomplished as overall mixed martial arts to refer to this fight as entirely a striker vs grappler match-up, but it’s clear that they do their best work in the respective ranges.

This is something that was stressed by John Wood in a recent interview with Red Corner MMA, where he spoke about Dvalishvili’s preparations.

He isn’t going to be training his fighter to neglect his striking skills but at the same time, he knows that if they aren’t looking to use their grappling whenever they can, they’re making it an easier night for the champion on September 14.

“I never want to overlook what got Merab to the dance, what brought Merab into this title fight and we have to try to keep those things in check and not lose ourselves. ‘Oh we have to go learn traditional boxing, we have to learn striking, we have to do these things to compete with O’Malley,’ because that’s how we’re going to get knocked out. Merab is a crazy man we just have to make him a technical crazy man.”

Continue Reading Merab Dvalishvili’s Coach On Approach To Avoid Against Sean O’Malley: ‘That’s How We’re Gonna Get Knocked Out’ at MMA News.

Sean Strickland Details Leaving UFC Champion Coach’s Gym Because He Was Not A ‘Leader’: ‘Don’t Think He Carries The Passion For It…’

Sean Strickland appears to have landed in the perfect gym for his training style. For starters, his heavy emphasis on sparring is helped by how many fighters are always passing through the Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas. He has also been able to develop a great relationship with the head coach, Eric Nicksick, who […]

Continue Reading Sean Strickland Details Leaving UFC Champion Coach’s Gym Because He Was Not A ‘Leader’: ‘Don’t Think He Carries The Passion For It…’ at MMA News.

Sean Strickland appears to have landed in the perfect gym for his training style.

For starters, his heavy emphasis on sparring is helped by how many fighters are always passing through the Xtreme Couture gym in Las Vegas.

He has also been able to develop a great relationship with the head coach, Eric Nicksick, who is able to handle Strickland’s zany energy.

Before he found his way to Xtreme Couture, the former UFC middleweight champion was training out of another top gym – but it didn’t suit him quite as well.

Sean Strickland Compares The Coaching Styles Of Eric Nicksick And John Wood

Syndicate MMA, also in Las Vegas, is another gym that has achieved a lot of success at the highest level of the sport.

Veteran coach John Wood has been in the corner of several UFC champions, including Weili Zhang and most recently, Merab Dvalishvili.

Strickland eventually decided to leave Syndicate before making his way to Xtreme Couture, for a few different reasons.

One of those reasons was his connection with Nicksick that was very different to the relationship that he had with Wood, due to their different coaching styles.

On a recent episode of Nicksick’s Verse Us podcast, Strickland explained the difference between them and why he felt more at home after making the switch,

“Let’s say John wrote an entire book on MMA and you’re like, ‘Oh that’s a good book,’ and say Eric would write a pamphlet, that pamphlet will take you farther than that book, you know what I’m saying? Because like Eric is a leader. He knows how to implement it, he knows how to push it and he knows how to do it.

“John, on the other hand, he’s more of like, I don’t think he carries the passion for it like you watch, you come to a Monday practice, Eric’s f****** involved bro. The amount of energy he brings, like he is f****** involved. You go to a Syndicate practice, it’s like, ‘Alright we’re going to do wall stuff for like five minutes’.”

Continue Reading Sean Strickland Details Leaving UFC Champion Coach’s Gym Because He Was Not A ‘Leader’: ‘Don’t Think He Carries The Passion For It…’ at MMA News.