Aljamain Sterling hits back at Umar Nurmagomedov over claims that Merab Dvalishvili is ‘ducking’ the UFC bantamweight contender

Merab Dvalishvili became the UFC bantamweight king following his stunning unanimous decision victory over MMA star Sean O’Malley last month.

The 33-year-old entered his career-defining matchup after securing a scintillating win against MMA legend Henry Cejudo at UFC 398 earlier this year.

In doing so, Merab Dvalishvili was able to showcase his wrestling prowess to a much wider audience, proving that he is capable of defeating the very best in his division.

And sure enough, his following performance against Sean O’Malley only added to this mystique, with top contenders such as Umar Nurmagomedov now wishing to topple the formidable champ.

Read More [Sean O’Malley is ‘100%’ interested in facing UFC Hall of Famer next as he targets return to the octagon in early 2025]

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLCAljamain Sterling defends Merab Dvalishvili in response to ‘ducking’ accusationsDvalishvili was rumored to defend his trinket against Nurmagomedov at UFC 310 in December but, due to the raped turnaround, he ultimately declined the fight date.

Instead, the Georgian is seemingly looking to stage his next outing in February, giving himself sufficient time to prepare for his next opponent.

Nurmagomedov, however, has taken to social media, claiming that Dvalishvili was ready to rematch O’Malley in November but refused to face him the following month.

In response, Aljamain Sterling, who suffered a second-round stoppage defeat to O’Malley at UFC 292, has jumped to Dvalishvili’s defense.

The American highlighted that a clash with Nurmagomedov – when considering the difference in styles – would naturally take longer to train for.

And then, after the Russian responded by saying, “cheap excuse”, the ‘Funk Master’ hit back with a sharp counter on X.

Sterling said: “Brother, this is a lazy rebuttal. Everything I said was accurate. If you were champ you would NEVER turn around for quick fights, and on your opponents desired timeline.

“You can’t use these false claims. Merab has competed against so many top guys and former champions and won. Earn it like the rest of us.”

Brother, this is a lazy rebuttal. Everything I said was accurate. If you were champ you would NEVER turn around for quick fights, and on your opponents desired timeline. You can’t use these false claims. Merab has competed against so many top guys and former champions and won.… https://t.co/lfd998bDPi

— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) October 21, 2024 View Tweet

Will Merab Dvalishvili fight Umar Nurmagomedov?Nurmagomedov is widely considered to be the number one contender at bantamweight, despite hovering just beneath O’Malley in second place on the UFC rankings.

Still, the 28-year-old holds an impressive unbeaten record in MMA’s flagship promotion, coming off a comprehensive victory over Cory Sandhagen.

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesDvalishvili, though, would have no reason to avoid Nurmagomedov, given that he has already proven his willingness to take on all comers.

And so, with wins over the likes of Petr Yan and Jose Aldo, it is fair to say that the top dog at bantamweight is not one to swerve the elite operators.