Merab Dvalishvili winning at UFC 306 may have been the worst thing to happen to Umar Nurmagomedov in 2024. The legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov’s cousin is next in line for the title fight and is poised to be Dvalishvili’s first title defense. However, the Georgian was adamant for a long time that he would not fight Khabib’s cousin because he had not earned the shot rightfully. Keep in mind that former champion Sean O’Malley had Umar in mind after Merab, but unlucky for him, he could not get past the Georgian at UFC Noche. And UFC veteran Chael Sonnen thinks this Sean O’Malley factor is what is keeping Umar away from the title!

No, he was not talking about Sean picking Umar for a fight. It’s that despite the amazing 18-win record that the 28-year-old has, he is not that well known yet. A criticism that may be rooted in him being fast-tracked to the title, as many claim.

Chael Sonnen gives a harsh reality check to Umar Nurmagomedov

Despite being Hall of Famer Khabib’s cousin, Umar Nurmagomedov is not a top choice right now despite having a big family name. So him skipping others in line, to fight Dvalishvili might not be a fan favorite choice. This is why UFC offered him a fight with Song Yadong but it got cancelled for undisclosed reasons. Now this aspect of popularity (or lack thereof) has been pointed out by Chael Sonnen in the new ‘Good Guy/ Bad Guy’ podcast segment as well.

He said, “I think it’s a fair game for Merab to do what he is supposed to do which is get the biggest paycheck against the easiest opponent. I am just thinking now with Deiveson Figueiredo we might be looking back at Yan. I would have predicted; I mean if you took a poster and you said O’Malley vs. Figueiredo or Merab vs. Figueiredo I think the audience would have been like wow something is happening.”

He mentioned how he was not sure about ‘Young Eagle’s’ fan popularity even though he is from a legendary family. He has an undefeated record and is the cousin of ‘The Eagle’ who had a 29 undefeated winning streak along with a Hall of Fame induction. However, he might be losing points when it comes to fan following which fighters like Sean O’Malley have.

The thing about O’Malley and Dvalishvili is that they built their popularity with their fights and outside-the-cage antics. Umar, on the other hand, dominates his opponents in grappling and has a simple and straightforward persona outside the cage. Maybe he should take the Magomed Ankalaev route and start firing off some trash talk in all directions.

However, despite Sonnen thinking that Umar is at a disadvantage, Dvalishvili thinks otherwise.

Merab Dvalishvili pointed out Umar Nurmagomedov’s ‘privileges’

Fresh off witnessing his former rival Petr Yan defeat Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC Macau, the reigning bantamweight champion seems more interested in having a rematch with Yan than acknowledging Umar Nurmagomedov.  With an amazing performance that gave him a unanimous decision victory against Figueiredo, Yan made a direct challenge after the fight.

He said, “I want to say, Merab, what you say now when I beat No. 1 contender in my division? I want to do a rematch with Merab. Let’s go.” Dvalishvili responded, “Great fight Petr. I like your call out, and I like your respect. Let’s go again after 2 years. March 8, T-Mobile, let’s f—–g go.”

Before his UFC Macau fight, Yan echoed a similar sentiment, taking no sides. “Merab is avoiding the fight with Umar Nurmagomedov. He understands that it is dangerous for him. He wants to defend the belt a couple of times against less risky guys. But Umar didn’t really beat anyone in the UFC TOP15 either and needs more wins to get a title shot,” ‘No Mercy’ said.

Yan has a point. ‘Young Eagle’ for fast tracked into the title picture after getting a fight against Cory Sandhagen. He did not take the long road like Yan or Dvalishvili did.  But then again, grappling-heavy fighters like Umar have a hard time getting a fight booked, too. So it’s not altogether his fault either. Umar is looming in the shadows and being ignored by the Georgian champion who said that Umar is getting the spotlight because he is Khabib’s cousin.

Is the champ truly dodging the storm or praising Yan’s persistence?  Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!