Head coach John Wood is fully supportive of newly crowned bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili.
Dvalishvili defeated Sean O’Malley via unanimous decision to claim the title in the main event of UFC 306 at the Sphere in Las Vegas on September 14. Prior to the bout, Dvalishvili had already expressed disdain for bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov.
“The Machine” maintained that Nurmagomedov’s name was floated as a title contender due to his association with Khabib Nurmagomedov, who has just one notable win under his belt. Nevertheless, shortly after Dvalishvili’s title win, Joe Rogan asked him about the possibility of fighting Nurmagomedov, who was on the big screen during the UFC 306 viewing session.
Dvalishvili refused to immediately plan his next move, insisting he needed to savor the moment, after which the Georgian blasted former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo in his post-fight press conference.
Wood currently supports Dvalishvili’s insistence on fighting Figueiredo over Nurmagomedov – the Syndicate MMA head coach is prioritizing Figueiredo because he doesn’t think Nurmagomedov deserves a title fight yet – but Wood points out that Dvalishvili wouldn’t hesitate to take any matchup the UFC offers.
“It’s a great fight stylistically and an entertaining one,” Wood told Sportskeeda MMA. “Deiveson is a star, he’s been playing great ever since he moved up a weight class. [135 pounds]So I would love to see that fight. But to be honest, no matter what UFC says to Merab, he’s going to do it. He’s obviously not a guy that runs away from any adversity, any toughness, any people. I don’t think Umar is qualified to be in a title fight that early yet. But at the end of the day, we know how this business goes. [It] It all comes down to what UFC wants.”
Wood knows there are arguments to be made for all title contenders, but he believes Dvalishvili has earned the right to take the lead. The champion is currently on an 11-fight winning streak against some of the best in the 135-pound division. Wood also said he expects to face Nurmagomedov in the future anyway, and wouldn’t be overwhelmed.
“I think Merab, at least at this point, has earned the right to make his own decision more than anything,” Wood said. “He beat Golden Boy, he beat all the guys that were in front of him, the killers and the assassins. For me, I think he’s earned the right to say, ‘Hey, I want to fight this guy,’ and he should fight this guy. That’s my belief. If I end up fighting Umar, I’m not going to say, ‘Oh my God, this is awful.’ I think he’ll fight him anyway, eventually. And I don’t think it’s a bad fight for Merab.”
