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Merab Dvalishvili Believes Its “Disrespectful” To Have Umar Nurmagomedov In Bantamweight Title Contention Right Now

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Saikat Banerjee
Saikat Banerjee
A wordsmith who indulges in the world of combat sports, Saikat Banerjee is an MMA, boxing, and arm wrestling content writer at The MMA India Show and The Sports Room. Apart from combat sports, he also engages in Indian sports content at The Sports India Show. Currently pursuing an MBA from Jadavpur University, Saikat's other interests lie in motorcycling, working out, and travelling.
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UFC bantamweight bigwig Merab Dvalishvili (17-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) is not very keen on seeing the name of Umar Nurmagomedov come up in the UFC bantamweight title contention just yet.

Hailing from the iconic Dagestan, Umar (17-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) is fresh off a unanimous decision win over Bekzat Almakhan at UFC Vegas 87 on 2nd March and the undefeated Russian is eyeing to get the Cory Sandhagen fight rebooked next.

UFC Vegas 87 results: Umar Nurmagomedov mauls Bekzat Almakhan after  surviving early scare, calls out Cory Sandhagen - MMA Fighting

Now- the speculations among the MMA fandom is that, getting a fight booked with Sanghagen- currently ranked third in the division, and winning the fight, might land Umar a step closer to the 135-pound title fight.

Merab Dvalishvili insists Umar Nurmagomedov needs to fight bigger names

Here’s where Dvalishvili steps in. The gritty Georgian- who is currently on a staggering 10 fight win streak and has remained undefeated in the Octagon since 2018, believes Umar needs some more weight to his resume, other than the weight of his surname or background.

“There is a guy from Dagestan, he’s a good fighter, but he fight nobody,” said Dvalishvili during a recent interview with MMA Junkie. “He fought somebody from debut, and now he wants to fight for the belt. It’s not how it works. I think it’s very disrespectful. There are other guys who have a long winning streak, and he should fight them.”

“And then fight somebody in the top 10, then top five, and then belt. You fight nobody, and now you want to fight for the belt? He’s a good guy, I like him, I respect him, but he’s talking trash about myself, talking trash to everybody. He’s calling top guys. He’s a good fighter, but come on, bro. You got to fight somebody good,” he added.

Dvalishvili’s words carry some weight. Although he’s from Dagestan- which has been producing some of the best MMA fighters in the planet, along with the legendary “Nurmagonedov” surname, Umar has made only five UFC appearances and might need to secure some more top-notch fights apart from “The Sandman” before he can truly lay claim for a title fight.
“Who knows if you’re a good fighter or no? You haven’t been tested yet,” concluded Dvalishvili. “You fought a debut guy. Come on.”
Currently ranked 1st in the Bantamweight division, “The Machine” made his latest outing against the returning former double champ Henry Cejudo at UFC 298 back on 17th February, securing a unanimous decision victory.

Do you agree with Merab Dvalishvili? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.

ALSO READ: Umar Nurmagomedov Calls For Cory Sandhagen Fight To Be Rebooked

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