A storm is brewing in the UFC’s bantamweight division and the center of it all? Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov. ‘The Machine’ recently seized the UFC gold at UFC 306 by defeating Sean O’Malley via unanimous decision at ‘The Sphere’. But with his reign now underway, Dvalishvili has fired off another round of ordnance over Nurmagomedov’s claims for a title shot.

Dvalishvili, known for his relentless style both inside and outside the Octagon, isn’t pulling any punches. He’s not only doubting Nurmagomedov’s place as the No. 1 contender but also accusing him of ducking fights. And who’s caught in the middle of this crossfire? None other than UFC boss Dana White!

Merab Dvalishvili leaves Dana White and the UFC in a tough spot as he fires off on Umar Nurmagomedov  

At a recent Q&A ahead of UFC 308, Merab Dvalishvili exclaimed, “If Dana White tells me to fight Umar, then I will fight Umar, but you know what? Umar doesn’t deserve to fight me!” A sentiment he’s often repeated ever since he won the title. Now, he’s taken it a step further in a recent post shared on his X account.

Dvalishvili stated, “Don’t be fooled again by the bulls— coming out of Umar’s lying mouth. Yadong didn’t pull out of any fight – he was ready – Umar didn’t sign. Keep talking crap – you need to work hard and fight other contenders to be the number one contender. You are being given a gift from the @ufc as everyone knows without earning it.”

The fight he’s referring to is a clash between Nurmagomedov and Song Yadong, which the promotion and Dana White were rumored to be working towards. But is that really true? At the UFC 308 post-fight press conference, the UFC boss made it clear, “Did we announce it? Then no (it’s not official).”

However, when asked about the bantamweight’s future, White didn’t hesitate, pointing out that Nurmagomedov is “absolutely” the next challenger for the title in his eyes. So where does that leave Merab Dvalishvili? While he indicated in a subsequent post, “I said it one hundred times and I’m gonna say it again – if UFC wants me to fight Umar next I will fight him!”, for ‘The Machine’, it’s a matter of grit and hard-earned respect.

He’s made it clear he believes Nurmagomedov is being “gifted” his shot without facing true challenges. As such, Dana White may have tried to steer the narrative, but with Dvalishvili’s heated words, the stakes are rising faster than ever. And it’s another former champion who has added more weight to the Georgian’s claims with a pointed jab at Umar Nurmagomedov!

‘The Funkmaster’ backs up Dvalishvili as he calls on Dagestani contender to “earn” his title shot

After his incredible win at UFC 306, Merab Dvalishvili was rumored to have been offered a December date for UFC 310 to take on Umar Nurmagomedov for the bantamweight title. Nurmagomedov, determined to make his mark, was quick to call out Dvalishvili and stoke the flames, even hinting that Dvalishvili was dodging him by declining a fight at UFC 310 in December.

But here’s where the story gets interesting. Nurmagomedov took to social media, suggesting that Dvalishvili would be ready to rematch Sean O’Malley as soon as November but somehow didn’t want to face him in December. For Dvalishvili’s supporters, this was a clear twist of facts and Aljamain Sterling wasn’t going to let his friend and training partner come under fire.

‘The Funkmaster’ pointed out that training for a challenger like Nurmagomedov, who has a completely different style than O’Malley would take more time to prepare. But when the Dagestani contender called it a “cheap excuse”, Sterling fired off by stating on X, “Brother, this is a lazy rebuttal. Everything I said was accurate. If you were champ you would NEVER turn around for quick fights, and on your opponent’s desired timeline. You can’t use these false claims. Merab has competed against so many top guys and former champions and won. Earn it like the rest of us.”

Dana White’s endorsement of Nurmagomedov as the next contender has only stoked the fires further. While White views the Dagestani as deserving, Dvalishvili sees his rise as less than hard-won. With Aljamain Sterling backing him up, Dvalishvili has made it clear he’s willing to face any worthy challenger but demands that his opponent put in the work.

Will Dana White’s decision hold, or will Merab Dvalishvili’s defiance reshape the path to the bantamweight throne?  Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.