It appears Umar Nurmagomedov’s feud with Merab Dvalishvili isn’t going to end anytime soon, as he recently blasted Dvalishvili for reportedly avoiding a matchup with him. This came after ‘The Machine’ repeatedly disregarded Nurmagomedov as the top contender for the bantamweight title.
In an interview with She Loves The Gloves earlier this month, Dvalishvili discussed his first title defense, which is expected to be against Nurmagomedov. The reigning champion asserted that a contest between the two may take place in February or March next year. However, the Dagestani fighter took to X and said he wouldn’t wait until March because of Ramadan. As a result, Nurmagomedov requested that the promotion set up a fight with anyone in case Dvalishvili declined to face him.
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Nurmagomedov recently spoke with MMA journalist Kevin Iole and expressed his views on Dvalishvili’s decision to wait until March, saying:
”He’s [Dvalishvili] playing games, they know that I will not fight in Ramadan and they’re telling us how they’re going to fight in March [when] March is all Ramadan… It’s looking very bad, it’s looking like he’s trying to avoid me, like he is scared.”
Check out Umar Nurmagomedov’s comments below (3:11):
Notably, prior to Nurmagomedov’s ultimatum, Sean O’Malley issued a warning to Dvalishvili. He said if the Georgian and ‘The Young Eagle’ don’t fight before the end of the year, he is prepared for his rematch against Dvalishvili in March next year.
Nuramgomedov has emerged as the No. 1 contender for the bantamweight title following his unanimous decision win over Cory Sadhagen at UFC Abu Dhabi. Meanwhile, following his title win at UFC 306, Dvalishvili disregarded the Russian as a serious contender, asserting that the former two-time flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo was better worthy of the title shot.
Umar Nurmagomedov doesn’t want to wait until next year
Many expect Umar Nurmagomedov to challenge Merab Dvalishvili for the bantamweight title next. But, the reigning champion’s decision to fight in March next year has forced the undefeated Dagestani to urge the promotion to schedule his bout before Ramadan.
In the aforementioned interview with Kevin Iole, Nurmagomedov expressed his desire to remain active, saying:
”I don’t want to wait…I want to fight now, I want to fight two months before Ramadan. I want to be active…one fight before Ramadan maybe January or December…then after Ramadan we’ll see what’s going to happen. [3:4
