Umar Nurmagomedov thinks that Merab Dvalishvili has no reason to hate him.
Nurmagomedov will challenge for Dvalishvili’s bantamweight title in the co-main event of UFC 311 on January 18th at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. Dvalishvili was initially adamant that he would not fight Nurmagomedov in his first title defense. According to The Machine, the undefeated Nurmagomedov is not eligible for a title shot despite having six wins in the UFC. Dvalishvili accused Nurmagomedov of being favored by the UFC because of his family’s legacy.
Dvalishvili ultimately accepted the fight due to excruciating insults from Nurmagomedov. The two talked about the same topic at a promotional press conference last month. But it’s still unclear what Dvalishvili is referring to as an insult, as Nurmagomedov doesn’t seem to be stepping over the line when it comes to trash-talking. Dvalishvili vowed to slap Nurmagomedov if he did not apologize after the fight. Nurmagomedov believes there is no reason to apologize to Dvalishvili and hopes the Georgian backs up his words with actions.
Nurmagomedov recently told Shakiel Majri: “I don’t know what I have to apologize for.” “Why?…No one saw it.” [me saying anything disrespectful]. He made this up because he needed some reason to hate me. And maybe he needs a reason to bring his followers and fans to support him…we’ll see how he does [slap me]. Respect your words before you say them, and respect your words afterward. ”
Dvalishvili is on a 13-fight winning streak, coming off a dominant title win over Sean O’Malley at UFC 306 in September of this year. Dvalishvili also had a long road to the title, but his reluctance to fight teammate Aljamain Sterling was part of the reason for the delay.
