After Merab Dvalishvili’s Trolling, Khabib Joins Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov’s Camp for UFC 311

Merab Dvalishvili probably made his last mistake before UFC 311 by taking jibes at Umar Nurmagomedov and his team. The bantamweight champion and the #2 bantamweight contender have let the entire world know about their stance regarding each other. And let me tell you, it’s not a pleasant scenario. But things have started to get interesting as Khabib Nurmagomedov swooped in to train his cousin and Islam Makhachev for their title fights on January 18. 

Soon after ‘The Machine’ accused Nurmagomedov and his team of being the masterminds behind his UFC 310 altercation, he took to Instagram and shared a picture of Umar Nurmagomedov holding a camera, while Dvalishvili and his team soaked in a pool in the background. While the picture looked like an edited piece, it didn’t fail to carry the message. It was an attempt to troll the Dagestani team’s viral jacuzzi picture. He captioned the post, “Thank for taking the pic Khabib’s Cousin – we are good for now until the fight. See you on January 18th. LFG.” 

‘The Eagle’ couldn’t let it slide and came forward with 4 videos on his Instagram stories. The first video showed his cousin working out with a teardrop hanging bag, drilling his punches and high kicks. Next up, it was the lightweight champion who practiced his striking on a heavy bag. The third story showed the former undefeated lightweight champion teaching Makhachev. Finally, Nurmagomedov showed his brother defending himself against a single-leg takedown. 

Needless to say, the #3 bantamweight contender has been preparing to snatch the belt away from Merab Dvalishvili. And it all started with ‘The Eagle’ pushing him forward.

Let’s see what the elder cousin had to say to his younger brother that motivated him to fight the bantamweight champion. 

Khabib Nurmagomedov revealed the truth about being a champion, motivating Umar Nurmagomedov ahead of his fight with Merab Dvalishvili

The 28-year-old bantamweight prospect often stayed shut when it came to asking the officials for certain fights. This was a path that Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev had already trodden. Reflecting on that, he said, “Islam and I have already been in his place. This is called a transition period. Over time, everyone will want to fight you. Just keep pushing forward.” Even Usman Nurmagomedov, the Bellator FC lightweight champion, chimed in to support his brother. He claimed, “You can run, but you can’t hide. Soon Umar will become undisputed, undefeated bantamweight champion, and will hold this belt for as long as he wants.”

Nevertheless, ‘The Machine’ declared that he has no beef with the Dagestani team. He revealed that he has many friends in Dagestan and has the utmost respect for Khabib Nurmagomedov and his team. However, he didn’t go down easy on Umar Nurmagomedov. “But Umar made a big mistake with me, and Umar has to pay for this. I only have a problem with Umar,” was what the bantamweight champ said during his appearance on Ariel Helwani’s show on the 10th of December.

And as far as the matchup between Nurmagomedov and Dvalishvili is concerned, both of them are equally good at striking. But the scorecards would tilt towards the fighter with better ground control. Dvalishvili is expected to shoot for takedowns, which is why ‘The Eagle’ focused on his brother’s takedown defense. All we need to do now is wait for the story to unfold.

Do you think ‘The Eagle’s guidance will take Umar Nurmagomedov to victory at UFC 311? Let us know what you think of the heat between Nurmagomedov and Dvalishvili in the comments section below.