Merab Dvalishvili claims Umar Nurmagomedov refused to fight Yadon Song.
Dvalishvili won the bantamweight title with a dominant unanimous decision win over Sean O’Malley at UFC 306 in September of this year. Nurmagomedov has since requested a title fight with Dvalishvili, with Dvalishvili wanting a rematch with ‘Suga’ instead.
Meanwhile, Nurmagomedov was reportedly close to finalizing a potential title eliminator against Chinese contender Song at UFC Tampa in December. However, Nurmagomedov recently announced that the fight would be canceled due to an injury to “Kung Fu Kid.”
Dvalishvili has now refuted Nurmagomedov’s claims, accusing the undefeated Dagestani of shielding Son. The Georgian champion has always maintained that Nurmagomedov receives preferential treatment from the UFC due to his relationship with his cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov. Dvalishvili reiterated that even if Nurmagomedov gets another title shot, he doesn’t deserve it.
“Never again be fooled by the bull that comes out of the lying mouth of Umar. Yadon did not retreat from any battle – he was ready – Umar did not contract,” Dvalishvili said. I wrote it in “X”. [No. 1]
candidate. As we all know, you are being given a gift by the UFC even if you don’t earn it. When your time comes, I can’t wait to smash all the lies in your face and out of your mouth. ”
Don’t ever be fooled again by the bullshit that comes out of Umar’s lying mouth. Yadon did not withdraw from any battle – he was ready – Umar did not sign. Keep talking nonsense. To become the number one candidate, you need to work hard and compete against other candidates. You have been given a gift by…
— Merab “The Machine” Dvalishvili (@MerabDvalishvil)
November 1, 2024
Nurmagomedov is undefeated in the UFC with 6 fights and 3 finishes, but his most significant victory came by unanimous decision in his last fight against Cory Sandhagen in August of this year. Meanwhile, Son lost a unanimous decision to former champion Petr Yan at UFC 299 in March. Dvalishvili is on an 11-fight winning streak (10 straight at 135 pounds) and has faced many of the top talents in the division.
