Umar Nurmagomedov believes he’s still next in line for UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili.
‘The Machine’ is fresh off his return to the cage in the main event of Noche UFC over the weekend. Back for the first time since a decision victory over Henry Cejudo in February, Merab Dvalishvili faced Sean O’Malley. ‘Sugar’ entered the cage a slight betting favorite, but was no match for the wrestler on Saturday night.
Merab Dvalishvili ultimately earned a unanimous decision victory, ending O’Malley’s run with the gold. Post-fight, the Georgian champion was asked about facing Umar Nurmagomedov in his first title defense. ‘Young Eagle’ has been positioned as the next title challenger since defeating Cory Sandhagen by decision in August.
However, the newly crowned bantamweight champion has a new idea. Instead of facing Umar Nurmagomedov, Merab Dvalishvili pitched a fight against Deiveson Figueiredo. ‘Deus Da Guerra’ is undefeated since moving to bantamweight last year, last defeating Marlon Vera by unanimous decision in August.
When Merab’s friend, Topuria fought for the title, after 6 consecutive wins, and beating only one top 5 ranked opponent Josh Emmet, I don’t remember that Merab was desperately protesting against such ‘unfairness’. 👀
— Umar Nurmagomedov (@UNmgdv) September 16, 2024
Umar Nurmagomedov responds to Merab Dvalishvili after comments about UFC title shot
It hasn’t taken long for Umar Nurmagomedov to respond to Merab Dvalishvili. On X, the Russian wrote that the bantamweight champion wasn’t complaining when his friend, Ilia Topuria, got a title shot in February. As many fans know, ‘El Matador’ defeated Alexander Volkanovski to win gold at UFC 298.
The bantamweight champion’s main reason for not giving Umar Nurmagomedov a title shot is based on the fact that he only has one ranked win. On that front, the Russian believes that Merab Dvalishvili is a bit of a hypocrite. Still, all of this talk about Nurmagomedov not getting a title shot is pointless.
Following his victory over Cory Sandhagen last month, Dana White stated that Umar Nurmagomedov was absolutely next in line for a title shot. While Dvalishvili is providing pushback, it likely won’t matter.
What do you make of this response from the UFC bantamweight contender? Do you believe Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov is the fight to make?
