Merab Dvalishvili actually doesn’t need 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 in opposition to 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 determination 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 this point, it wasn’t sufficient to persuade Dvalishvili that he was worthy of a shot on the 135-pound crown.
“Umar is an effective fighter. It’s a giant problem, however he don’t earn it like the remainder of us,” Dvalishvili instructed ESPN. “Everyone knows we work onerous to get right here, I don’t get something simple, however one way or the other will get simple. 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 can be killers.
“However yeah, he fought solely (Cory) Sandhagen (with) no wrestling, and he’s utilizing that excuse that he beat the No. 2 man, and now he’s right here. It’s a giant problem, however the one factor I hate is that he don’t earn it how UFC fighters ought to earn it, and he’s simply cocky. He needs to be humble at the least, and he simply disrespects me and mendacity, and that’s not what actual males ought to do. That’s it.”
Merab Dvalishvili is aware of he’s in for a troublesome take a look at in opposition to Umar Nurmagomedov
Dvalishvili could 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 battle will probably be actually robust and it is a massive, massive problem for me as a result of it’s a brand new face and yeah, he’s fighter,” Dvalishvili mentioned. “He’s good at kicking, hanging, wrestling, and it’s a brand new problem.”
Will probably be Dvalishvili’s first time defending the bantamweight title since taking it off ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley at UFC 306 in September.
