The rivalry between Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov continues at full steam. The 135-pound champion will face Khabib’s cousin on January 18 in Los Angeles (USA), and prior to the press conference held to promote UFC 311, the athletes faced off backstage. After an exchange of verbal barbs, they had to be separated by members of the UFC security team. Because of security concerns, Dvalishvili claims that the UFC is stopping him from entering the performance institute, while Islam Makhachev is taking shots at his woes.

Taking to his social media, the Georgian fighter uploaded a video of himself outside the UFC P.I. in Las Vegas. The UFC bantamweight champion claimed that he was denied entry because Umar Nurmagomedov was inside, and the security had been asked to avoid any confrontations between the two. He said, “I’m here in front of UFC P.I., and security won’t let me go in because they said Umar Nurmagomedov is inside, and they are protecting him… I’m gonna smash this guy because of all the disrespect… You better show up, Umar.”

Now, Islam Makhachev, the UFC’s current lightweight champion and a member of Team Nurmagomedov, has seemingly taken a jibe at Dvalishvili by uploading a picture of himself with Nurmagomedov at the UFC P.I. with the caption, “in the OFFICE.”

This image would surely draw the ire of the 33-year-old Georgian who wanted to get inside. However, it is because of his recent confrontation with a fan that has now made him a security concern, according to the Dana White-led promotion.

For the unaware, a few days ago, the UFC bantamweight champion had to be pinned down by security guards after getting into a fight with a fan. The incident occurred during UFC 310, after the defeat of Aljamain Sterling, a friend and training partner of the Georgian—against Movsar Evloev. In the footage that went viral, a security guard at the event appears to prevent the 33-year-old from advancing towards the fan.

Meanwhile, Dennis Buzukja, also a UFC fighter and partner of the bantamweight champion, goes towards the citizen who seemed to be bothering the Georgian and attacks him with a punch before being removed from the venue by the show’s employees. This led many to criticize the fighter; possibly the reason behind the current refusal of entry at the P.I. which Islam Makhachev made fun of. However, according to Dvalishvili, it was all a set-up by Umar Nurmagomedov.

Merab Dvalishvili claims the altercation with fans at UFC 310 was staged

According to Merab Dvalishvili, the disagreement was not an occasional thing but a supposedly premeditated action. Through his social media, the bantamweight champion claimed that the fan involved in the confrontation was a personal friend and training partner of Umar Nurmagomedov! In the video released by the Georgian, the fan in question can be seen holding his arm.

Furthermore, the champion claims to have been provoked by the individual. To conclude his theory, the UFC bantamweight champ published a series of photographs of the alleged fan with Umar and members of the ‘Nurmagomedov clan’ on different occasions. “More lies, disrespect, and deliberate provocations from Umar’s team. Here’s the real story…” the Georgian wrote, sharing a video in which he hints that the fan involved in the mess was a friend and training partner of Umar, his next opponent in the UFC.

Well, it seems like there is a lot of bad blood boiling between the two fighters. But this isn’t something new for MMA fans. In fact, it would make them more hooked on the fight instead. So, what do you think? Was it all a set-up by camp Nurmagomedov, or did the Georgian fighter actually lose his temper at a random fan? Let us know in the comments.