Merab Dvalishvili is not a fan of Umar Nurmagomedov. And it won’t be far-fetched to claim that the feelings between the two are mutual. Dvalishvili believes that Nurmagomedov received the title fight from the Dana White-led promotion due to his sharing his surname with his famous cousin, Khabib Nurmagomedov. On the other hand, the UFC claims that it was the challenger’s skills and recent fights that got him into that position.

Nurmagomedov got into the top 3 of the Bantamweights with a dominant decision over Cory Sandhagen in the main event of UFC on ABC 7. The Dagestani is undefeated in MMA with a record of 18–0 in the octagon. But what about Dvalishvili? Is he actually worthy of being a titleholder? Well, according to Derek Brunson, the Georgian surely is.

Recently on X, a user by the name @WillHarrisAOAF shared the resume of the UFC bantamweight champion with all his recent opponents and victories listed. The user then proceeded to ask if the resume makes fans believe that Dvalishvili was the right man to earn the UFC bantamweight throne.

Taking to the comments, Derek Brunson then proceeded to give his seal of approval by writing, “Pretty Good.” So it surely looks like the Georgian has earned the respect of the former UFC fighter.

Merab Dvalishvili took the throne of the division by beating Sean O’Malley by unanimous decision. ‘The Machine’ is on an eleven-game streak and maintains victories against former champions such as Henry Cejudo, Jose Aldo, and Petr Yan. Now his fight against Umar Nurmagomedov is an awaited one, especially after it recently reached its melting point.

Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov’s heated moment ahead of UFC 311

In January, Merab Dvalishvili will defend his bantamweight throne against Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311. As a result, the duo recently met at the UFC 310 weigh-ins. However, little did anyone know that the weigh in would turn as sour as it got. The UFC bantamweight champion got into a confrontation in the crowd and assaulted a fan who was later identified as a member of Umar Nurmagomedov’s team.

According to the Georgian, the challenger’s foul language has turned the fight personal. This is what sparked the heated exchange, and the Georgian does not want to merely shake hands with Nurmagomedov following the bout in January. In fact, he wants an apology from Nurmagomedov instead. He says that if he doesn’t do so, there will be more action following the closure of the fight.

He said, “You might get slapped in the face after the fight. The fight in the octagon is not a real fight; it’s a sport. Yeah, [the fight will continue] if Umar does not apologize with him. It’s going to happen, even if I have to go in Dagestan, I will go.” It surely seems that the fight has gone a lot more personal between the two. But what do you think? Will the bantamweight champion retain his throne? Let us know in the comments.