Umar Nurmagomedov fires back at Merab Dvalishvili after UFC champion denies him title shot amid rumors of a potential injury
UFC champion Merab Dvalishvili has claimed that 18-0 contender Umar Nurmagomedov doesnāt deserve a chance to fight for the world title, despite him being the #2 ranked bantamweight in the world.
In fact, āThe Machineā has claimed that heāll overlook the undefeated Russian in favor of rematching former champion Sean OāMalley next; those comments have not sat well with the 28-year-old Dagestani.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLCMerab Dvalishvili questions whether 18-0 Umar Nurmagomedov ādeservesā title shotSpeaking at a fan Q&A ahead of this weekendās enormous PPV, Merab Dvalishvili found himself being goaded over the expected bantamweight title fight between him and 18-0 contender Umar Nurmagomedov.
āLetās boo this guyā¦ Iām not scared of no one ā only God,ā claimed Dvalishvili, before going from 0 to 100 in a second, bellowing over the boos that the undefeated Russian is āscaredā to face The Machine.
āWhere is this guy?! He is scared! Heās taking fights with somebody else, where is he?! Tell me, where is he?! He wants to get knocked out by somebody and then he wants to make excuses cause heās not going to [make it to] this fight.
āDana White and Hunter are making the decision as to who I am going to fight next, I donāt make that decisionā¦ If Dana White tells me to fight Umar, then I will fight Umar, but you know what? Umar doesnāt deserve to fight me!ā
Dvalishvili, who captured UFC gold in dominant fashion only a few months ago, barked that he is going to rematch Sean OāMalley next and that Nurmagomedov must āprove himselfā in the meantime.
UFC 308 LIVE: Stream information, start time, updates and results as Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway throw down in Abu DhabiUmar Nurmagomedov fires back after claiming Song Yadong is out with injuryLast week, it was reported that the 18-0 Nurmagomedov was set to headline the upcoming UFC Tampa card on December 14 against fan-favorite striker Song Yadong.
Whilst those reports have since been proven false, Nurmagomedov has now come out to confirm that any chance of a December return is out the window after Song suffered an injury in training camp.
āI am always ready, and right now I am waiting for an opponent, as Yadong declined to fight in December ā I was told he is injured,ā he wrote on X, before taking aim at the Georgian cardio machine.
āMerab, before my fight with Sandhagen, you said that if I beat him, I would deserve recognition. Now you have changed your position ā decide who you areā¦
āAll the fans and analysts are noticing how you are avoiding the fight. Championship is recognition, but you havenāt received it, and you know that perfectly well.ā
Luckily, there is still a chance that Nurmagomedov vs Song can be made for the New Year, with the Chinese athlete taking to Instagram to write, āHey Umar, letās fight on January 18th,ā at UFC 311.
OUCH: Aljamain Sterling hits back at Nurmagomedov over claims that Dvalishvili is āduckingā the UFC contenderI am not waiting for anyone and
I want to fight before Ramadan.
I hope UFC finds an opponent. And the title, inshaAllah, is just a matter of time. pic.twitter.com/hasZPpDO2k
ā Umar Nurmagomedov (@UNmgdv) October 25, 2024 View Tweet
āI like it, if I will not be [fighting] for the title, itās the best option,ā replied Nurmagomedov.
The Russian will need to fight in January if he is to avoid an extended period on the sidelines, due to the fact that heāll be observing Ramadan the following month.
The venue and location of UFC 311 have not yet been confirmed; however, the PPV card is expected to be headlined by the lightweight title fight between Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan.
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