Tag: Merab Dvalishvili

UFC 311 Betting Odds: Current Favorites For Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan, Dvalishvili vs. Nurmagomedov, & More

UFC 311 is almost upon us, and MMA News is here to keep you updated with the current odds for this weekend’s lineup. The upcoming pay-per-view takes place Saturday, Jan. 18, at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. The main card begins at 10 PM ET/7 PM PT, with the preliminary card starting at 6 […]

UFC 311 is almost upon us, and MMA News is here to keep you updated with the current odds for this weekend’s lineup.

The upcoming pay-per-view takes place Saturday, Jan. 18, at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. The main card begins at 10 PM ET/7 PM PT, with the preliminary card starting at 6 PM ET/3 PM PT.

Topping the lineup will be reigning UFC Lightweight Champion Islam Makhachev, who is tasked with getting the better of a familiar foe in Arman Tsarukyan if he’s to record a fourth successful title defense.

Before they go to battle, the co-main event will see another champ in action as Merab Dvalishvili returns to defend his bantamweight gold for the first time. To ensure his reign survives its first hurdle, “The Machine” must stall the title ambitions of undefeated challenger Umar Nurmagomedov.

Also set to make the walk on Saturday will be the likes of former two-time light heavyweight champions Ji?í Procházka and Jamahal Hill, veteran lightweight contender Beneil Dariush, and the always entertaining Kevin Holland.

UFC 311: Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan 2 Betting Odds

Listed below are the latest betting odds for UFC 311 (as of 1/15), courtesy of DraftKings.

Main Card:

  • Islam Makhachev (-410) vs. Arman Tsarukyan (+320)
  • Merab Dvalishvili (+270) vs. Umar Nurmagomedov (-340)
  • Ji?í Procházka (-102) vs. Jamahal Hill (-118)
  • Beneil Dariush (+145) vs. Renato Moicano (-175)
  • Kevin Holland (-108) vs. Reinier de Ridder (-112)

Preliminary Card:

  • Bogdan Guskov (-310) vs. Billy Elekana (+250)
  • Payton Talbott (-1200) vs. Raoni Barcelos (+750)
  • Jailton Almeida (-425) vs. Serghei Spivac (+330)
  • Zachary Reese (+185 vs. Azamat Bekoev (-225)

Early Preliminary Card:

  • Grant Dawson (-258) vs. Diego Ferreira (+210)
  • Karol Rosa (-258) vs. Ailín Pérez (+210)
  • Rinya Nakamura (-500) vs. Muin Gafarov (+380)
  • Ricky Turcios (+270) vs. Benardo Sopaj (-340)
  • Tagir Ulanbekov (-340) vs. Clayton Carpenter (+270)

Scouts Honor! Merab Dvalishvili Promises Not to Kiss UFC 311 Opponent Umar Nurmagomedov

Scouts Honor! Merab Dvalishvili Promises Not to Kiss UFC 311 Opponent Umar NurmagomedovMerab Dvalishvili promises there won’t be any funny business when he puts his bantamweight belt on the line for…

Scouts Honor! Merab Dvalishvili Promises Not to Kiss UFC 311 Opponent Umar Nurmagomedov

Merab Dvalishvili promises there won’t be any funny business when he puts his bantamweight belt on the line for the first time.

The Machine’ returns to the Octagon at UFC 311 this Saturday night when the promotion heads back to the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. There, Dvalishvili will square off with undefeated Dagestani sensation Umar Nurmagomedov.

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Nurmagomedov earned his first title opportunity with a unanimous decision victory over Cory Sandhagen, but ever since winning the 135-pound crown, Dvalishvili has insisted that Nurmagomedov hasn’t accomplished nearly enough to justify his spot in this weekend’s co-main event.

Speaking with Bloody Elbow, Dvalishvili echoed that same sentiment.

“Nurmagomedov is actually cocky. That’s his problem,” Dvalishvili said. “He thinks that he got this one easy, but he never faced me. And believe me he will know on the night. He will realize that he’s going to fight me and he will be humble. I have never said that he’s not a good fighter. I say he’s a good fighter, but he takes shortcuts, you know. He cheated a little bit because he was fighting nobodies and guys on their debut. And then from debut guy, he fought number two, you know, that’s, that’s a gift and that’s a shortcut. And that’s not how you want to earn your title fight.

“That’s not right. In my opinion, he was supposed to fight one more. Maybe against Song Yadong. But once the UFC asked me, I said, okay, I will fight him. But I wanted to fight in February or March. But that’s what I said. Why don’t I like him? Because he called me a fake champion. Also, he was disrespectful towards my country.”

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Merab Dvalishvili promises no shenanigans, just punches in UFC 311 title fight

Dvalishvili claimed the bantamweight title in September with a lights-out performance against ex-champion ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley at UFC 306 in Las Vegas.

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While the Georgian’s performance was fairly dominant, there were a handful of head-scratching moments, all of them perpetrated by ‘The Machine.’ Perhaps the strangest one came in the waning seconds of the second round when Dvalishvili planted a few kisses on the back of O’Malley while fishing for a guillotine choke.

This time around, Dvalishvili promises there won’t be any mid-fight smooches … Just punches.

“No kiss, just punch!” Dvalishvili said.

‘Easily Some Of The Best’ – Fans React As Makhachev & Dvalishvili Get First Custom Shorts Of 2025 For UFC 311

The first UFC PPV card of the year is just days away with UFC 311 taking place on Saturday January 18 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. With two title fights set to top the card, the promotion is continuing the tradition which began last year of giving select fighters the opportunity to design […]

The first UFC PPV card of the year is just days away with UFC 311 taking place on Saturday January 18 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. With two title fights set to top the card, the promotion is continuing the tradition which began last year of giving select fighters the opportunity to design custom shorts.

We’ve seen some instantly iconic designs in the past with the likes of Ilia Topuria, Max Holloway and Alex Pereira coming to mind for having shorts that have helped to define their personalities and cultures. Both of the champions who are set to defend their titles this weekend have received their own unique pair of personal fight gear as lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and bantamweight titleholder Merab Dvalishvili pay tribute to their backgrounds.

Both men have fought in title fights since the promotion started doing this highly-celebrated trend but neither have had the opportunity to get their own designs as of yet. For Makhachev, his shorts predominantly feature the steep terrain of Dagestan and the Caucasus Mountains with a geometric design. The other main feature appears to be a traditional sword or dagger strapped to his side that is carried by people from this region.

Georgian MMA reporter Giorgi Kokiashvili helped to break down on social media how Dvalishvili’s shorts pay homage to his home country where he has been received as a hero since winning the 135-pound title in September.

Fans reacted to the two new additions to the custom shorts wardrobe on social media.

“Lowkey heat”

“Alright, the mountain shorts are nice.”

“These are solid. But I feel like years of boring ass kits have us excited for anything different.”

“Easily some of the best custom shorts”

“Merab got them lifeguard shorts”

Merab Dvalishvili Won’t Repeat Control-Heavy Sean O’Malley Strategy At UFC 311: ‘I’m Going To Punch His Face’

UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili has provided insight into the approach he plans to take when sharing the cage with Umar Nurmagomedov this weekend. Dvalishvili is days out from his first title defense at UFC 311, which comes four months on from his capturing of the crown at the expense of Sean O’Malley last September. […]

UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili has provided insight into the approach he plans to take when sharing the cage with Umar Nurmagomedov this weekend.

Dvalishvili is days out from his first title defense at UFC 311, which comes four months on from his capturing of the crown at the expense of Sean O’Malley last September.

On that occasion, the Georgian utilized his smothering grappling game to get the better of “Suga” across five rounds. But with his undefeated Dagestani opponent boasting a renowned wrestling ability, the champ may not be able to repeat the feat come fight night this Saturday.

That much was acknowledged by Dvalishvili during a recent appearance on Michael Bisping’s Believe You Me podcast, as he outlined plans to defeat Nurmagomedov via the striking realm inside Inglewood’s Intuit Dome.

“I’m ready for striking. I’m not looking to take him down, control him, and lay on top like (Sean) O’Malley,” Dvalishvili said. “I’m going to punch his face, kick his legs, keep (the fight) on the feet, and I’m going to show a good fight. It’s going to be a great fight. A lot of scrapping, a lot of exchanges. I believe it’s going to be Fight of the Night or something.”

Dvalishvili initially pushed back on Nurmagomedov’s top contender status, instead pitching a number of other matchups for his first defense in the weeks and months after his title win inside the Sphere.

Nevertheless, the unbeaten Russian will be the first test to his reign, and “The Machine” has vowed to make a statement with his performance in Los Angeles.

VIDEO: UFC 311 Countdown Episode Ahead Of Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan 2 & Dvalishvili vs. Nurmagomedov

Fight week for the UFC 311 pay-per-view this Saturday has kicked off with the release of the promotion’s latest Countdown episode. Under the spotlight in this edition is the headline rematch between Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan and the co-main event between Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov. Saturday’s UFC 311 lineup is topped by a championship clash, with lightweight […]

Fight week for the UFC 311 pay-per-view this Saturday has kicked off with the release of the promotion’s latest Countdown episode.

Under the spotlight in this edition is the headline rematch between Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan and the co-main event between Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov.

Saturday’s UFC 311 lineup is topped by a championship clash, with lightweight kingpin Makhachev (26-1) looking to add a fourth successful defense to his reign, which got underway with a memorable victory over Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 in October 2022.

If the Dagestani is to continue his rule atop the 155-pound mountain, he must stall the title ambitions of a familiar foe in Tsarukyan (22-3). The Armenian fell to Makhachev by way of a narrow decision in his UFC debut almost six years ago. Having risen the ranks and most recently gotten the better of Oliveira himself, “Akhalkalakets” has the chance for redemption opposite the champ.

Before those two run it back in the main event at Inglewood’s Intuit Dome, another UFC title will be at stake.

The bantamweight gold will be contested by current champ Dvalishvili (18-4) and undefeated contender Nurmagomedov (18-0), as they settle a rivalry that has only intensified in recent months. While “The Machine” will return four months on from his capturing of the strap at the expense of Sean O’Malley, the “Young Eagle” is set to make the walk for the first time since a statement-making victory over Cory Sandhagen in Abu Dhabi last August.

Ahead of those two contests in LA, fans can catch previews in the full episode of UFC 311 Countdown on the promotion’s official YouTube channel.

UFC 311 Countdown: Full Episode

Merab Dvalishvili Comments On Ex-Teammate Aiding Umar Nurmagomedov Ahead Of UFC 311

Merab Dvalishvili harbors no ill will toward his former training partner, even though he has joined forces with his rival. “The Machine” is poised to put his bantamweight title on the line for the first time against Umar Nurmagomedov in the co-main event at UFC 311, taking place on Jan. 18 at the Intuit Dome […]

Merab Dvalishvili harbors no ill will toward his former training partner, even though he has joined forces with his rival.

“The Machine” is poised to put his bantamweight title on the line for the first time against Umar Nurmagomedov in the co-main event at UFC 311, taking place on Jan. 18 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.

The buildup to this fight has been brimming with palpable tension, as Nurmagomedov has been vocal in his pursuit of a title shot for some time. While Dvalishvili initially seemed hesitant to accept the challenge, the matchup was ultimately confirmed.

Interestingly, a recent social media post from Georgian journalist Giorgi Kokiashvili has injected even more drama into the upcoming matchup. Kokiashvili revealed that Magdi Amachov, the former teammate of the reigning 135-pound champion, is now lending his support to “The Young Eagle” in preparation for UFC 311.

This comes after Dvalishvili had previously helped Amachov settle in the United States, even offering him accommodation.

During a recent interview with The Schmo, Dvalishvili weighed in on the ongoing situation with Amachov, emphasizing that he holds no animosity towards his former training partner.

“The Machine” explained that Amachov’s decision to join Nurmagomedov’s fight camp was motivated by a desire to support his Dagestani compatriot, rather than any personal conflict.

“I love him and I did help him but I didn’t do it because I own him you know? He’s a big man and he can do whatever he wants,” Dvalishvili said. “He’s from Dagestan, and I know he loves Islam Makhachev, I know he loves Khabib Nurmagomedov, of course Umar Nurmagomedov. They call each other Muslim brothers, and I’m not surprised, of course. That’s his country, that’s his friends. I mean, I will not do that, but I will also not judge him. I love him, and I understand this, and I’m not mad at him. That’s OK.”

Dvalishvili captured the bantamweight title with a dominant unanimous decision victory over Sean O’Malley at UFC 306 in September 2024. He is riding high on an 11-fight unbeaten streak.

Meanwhile, Nurmagomedov is fresh off a unanimous decision victory over Cory Sandhagen at UFC Abu Dhabi in August 2024, extending his undefeated streak to six straight wins inside the Octagon.