Umar Nurmagomedov goes on social media tirade in response to Merab Dvalishvili's pitch to Petr Yan following UFC Macau
11/23/2024 04:21 PM
Undefeated bantamweight Umar Nurmagomedov isn’t surprised by Merab Dvalishvili’s latest dismissal of him after UFC Macau.
Umar Nurmagomedov seemed to secure No. 1 contender status after defeating Cory Sandhagen earlier this year. But, since Merab Dvalishvili claimed the bantamweight throne, he remains on the outside looking in, in the eyes of the current titleholder.
Dvalishvili watched as his former rival, Petr Yan, defeated Deiveson Figueiredo by unanimous decision in the UFC Macau main event. After defeating Figueiredo, Yan made his case for the No. 1 contender spot and called out Dvalishvili for a rematch.
Nurmagomedov, who hasn’t competed since the Sandhagen win, isn’t happy with Dvalishvili and has repeatedly accused him of ducking a fight. Umar, the cousin of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov, is looking to bring another championship home to Dagestan.
Despite Nurmagomedov making a strong case for getting the next bantamweight title shot, Dvalishvili’s dismissals of him continued after UFC Macau. Dvalishvili offered Yan a title shot in a recent social media post, including a specific date for the fight to potentially get booked.
It didn’t take long for Nurmagomedov to issue a series of responses to Dvalishvili’s latest shunning.
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Umar Nurmagomedov scolds Merab Dvalishvili for Petr Yan title shot offer
In a series of posts on X, Nurmagomedov reacted to Dvalishvili’s generous offer to Yan.
“No one is surprised,” Nurmagomedov posted on X.
“Someone, please tell him that it looks terrible. Umar can beat him, that’s why he’s avoiding him.
“If I were him, I wouldn’t want to fight me either. He’s right to be afraid.”
As of this writing, Dvalishvili nor Yan have responded to Nurmagomedov’s comments. Just weeks ago, Dvalishvili accused Nurmagomedov of being dishonest with fans over ongoing fight discussions.
Merab Dvalishvili continues to brush aside Umar Nurmagomedov after winning the UFC belt
This isn’t the first time Dvalishvil has dismissed Nurmagomedov’s case for a bantamweight title shot. Leading up to UFC 306, Dvalishvili downplayed Nurmagomedov’s win streak, accusing the Dagestani of getting a title shot push just because of his last name.
Dvalishvili has flip-flopped on who he should face for his first bantamweight title defense. Just weeks after beating Sean O’Malley at UFC 306, Dvalishvili seemed open to offering O’Malley an immediate rematch.
Nurmagomedov’s stock soared with his victory over the former interim bantamweight title challenger Sandhagen in Abu Dhabi. Before defeating Sandhagen, Nurmagomedov defeated the likes of Raoni Barcelos, Bekzat Almakhan, and Brian Kelleher.
Dvalishvili won the bantamweight title after recent wins over former UFC champions Henry Cejudo and José Aldo. He hasn’t lost a UFC fight since a 2018 defeat to Ricky Simon.
The UFC brass is insistent on Nurmagomedov getting a title shot after his most recent victory. But, Dvalishvili’s latest antics might add more drama to the bantamweight title picture.
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