Merab Dvalishvili actually doesn’t wish to battle Umar Nurmagomedov.
From the second the UFC bantamweight title was wrapped round his waist in September, Dvalishvili has been very vocal about his disdain for the undefeated Dagestani standout and his lack of wins towards ranked opponents.
Regardless, Nurmagomedov can have a chance to say his first world title when he challenges ‘The Machine’ at UFC 311 on January 18.
Nurmagomedov, 18-0, earned his spot with a dominant choice win over Cory Sandhagen in August that skyrocketed him from the underside of the highest 15 to the No. 2 spot.
Whereas it was undoubtedly the most important win of Nurmagomedov’s profession to date, it wasn’t sufficient to persuade Dvalishvili that he was worthy of a shot on the 135-pound crown.
“Umar is a good fighter. It’s a big challenge, but he don’t earn it like the rest of us,” Dvalishvili instructed ESPN. “Everyone knows we work laborious to get right here, I don’t get something straightforward, however one way or the other will get straightforward. He simply complains on a regular basis that no person needs to battle him, however there are such a lot of good fighters. There’s (Mario) Bautista, there are different fighters which are killers.
“But yeah, he fought only (Cory) Sandhagen (with) no wrestling, and he’s using that excuse that he beat the No. 2 guy, and now he’s here. It’s a big challenge, but the only thing I hate is that he don’t earn it how UFC fighters should earn it, and he’s just cocky. He should be humble at least, and he just disrespects me and lying, and that’s not what real men should do. That’s it.”
Merab Dvalishvili is aware of he’s in for a troublesome check towards Umar Nurmagomedov
Dvalishvili might not approve of the trail Nurmagomedov has taken, however he can’t deny that the Dagestani is a extremely expert opponent who presents a troublesome problem.
“The fight will be really tough and this is a big, big challenge for me because it’s a new face and yeah, he’s a good fighter,” Dvalishvili stated. “He’s good at kicking, striking, wrestling, and it’s a new challenge.”
It will likely be Dvalishvili’s first time defending the bantamweight title since taking it off ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley at UFC 306 in September.
