Fandoms are a huge part of sports and entertainment but sometimes these fandoms can be less friendly and more of a situation of brutal trolling. As UFC 311 is shaping up, Merab Dvalishvili is feeling this burning fire in full force from his Dagestani opponent’s fans. Now let’s ask the real questions, will Merab be able to prove Umar Nurmagomedov wrong inside the Octagon, or will the undefeated phenom from Russia pull off a win and give his fans more fuel to troll the current champ?

We all know how this saga has been playing out till now. There was a tug of war for a matchup between the duo and the bantamweight champ was not so keen on this fight. He even complained that ‘Young Eagle’ did not deserve a title shot because he needed to face more combatants. The Georgian was also not ready to fight before Ramadan and was adamant that he would fight in the latter half of the year.

Now all this led to Umar antagonising Dvalishvili saying that he is ‘scared’. The pair have traded barbs ever since and continued the same in the pre-fight presser for UFC 311. It looks like ‘The Machine’ claims that his opponent has been nothing but disrespectful. He said in an interview with Red Corner MMA, “He is just cocky you know he is he has never been defeated before. And he is acting like uh nobody wanna fight with him like he is something untouchable. I met him maybe one year ago and I had a very friendly conversation you know I was very respectful and he told me you are old it’s now my time. You gotta go.”

This remark about the 33-year-old being old was not taken lightly and ‘The Machine’ said, “I’m like, bro, what are you talking about? I’m old but I have experience”. Dvalishvili then brought out his complaints about the Dagestani bantamweight’s fans who flood social media with jokes and scathing remarks. Well, it looks like fans aren’t done with Merab Dvalishvili as they replied to Red Corner MMA‘s post with more brutal trolling of the Georgian champion.

Umar’s fans brutally troll Merab Dvalishvili’s for latest comments

Being a fighter is hard. Absorbing punches inside the octagon while also taking jibes from fans on social media is no walk in the park. Dvalishvili needs to prove himself despite being the champ at present. It doesn’t help that his outburst at Umar Nurmagomedov didn’t make an effective case with the fans. Many users claimed that Merab Dvalishvili’s time as champion was coming to an end with comments like, “Belt holder for a minute and he knows it. Just like Sugar”, “The man is enjoying his last moments.”, and, “Merab slowly realizing he won’t be champion for much longer.”

Another follower commented, “Come on Merab don’t cry.” This is probably an allusion to Dvalishvili’s emotional outbursts, not just at Umar Nurmagomedov, but also at fans who’ve questioned the champ, asking him why he didn’t oblige ‘Young Eagle’. Another netizen chimed in, “Coz u keep complaining and crying for nothing. Just say what u would do to him, talk about how ur better than him.” 

Furthermore, ‘The Machine’ stands by his claims that his UFC 311 opponent has been disrespectful by challenging him. However, a fan refuted and said, “Umar is hella humble why is Merab taking it so personal lol Umar believes in himself and wants that belt ofc he’s going to challenge you but he’s been respectful as far as I’ve seen… Merab making it personal for no reason.” 

Another fan tore into Merab accusing him of constantly complaining instead of settling business in the Octagon, “All u do is complain about how he doesn’t deserve the fight.” This comment was a sharp reaction Merab’s claim at a fan Q&A, where he had an emotional outburst saying, “Umar doesn’t deserve to fight me.”

This feud is so heated that Dvalishvili was denied entry at UFC Performance Institute with Nurmagomedov being there. This was perhaps done to avoid further conflict before they entered the Octagon. But according to ‘The Machine’ the way the security treated him was classless.

The bantamweight stars will soon smooth out all their heated rivalry inside the octagon. Will Dvalishvili take revenge for all the ‘disrespect’ or will the Dagestani wall remain unbudged and undefeated at UFC 311? State your opinion in the comments below.