Merab Dvalishvili lived up to his moniker ‘The Machine’, and rag-dolled Sean O’Malley, to become the new bantamweight champion on UFC 306 Noche last night. Merab defeated Suga in a unanimous decision, handing the latter only the second defeat of his career. Straight away, the question of who his first title defense would be is already in the air. And we know who ‘The Machine’ does NOT want it to be.

Yes, it is #2 ranked bantamweight and Khabib‘s cousin Umar Nurmagomedov who just shook up the category by defeating Cory Sandhagen by a unanimous decision on August 3 in a bantamweight title eliminator bout in UFC on ABC. But the Georgian has made clear that he thinks the Dagestani doesn’t deserve the title shot. The new champ, when asked by Joe Rogan in the post-fight interview, had a name in mind.

Merab believed that an apt challenger would be former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo (24-3-1), who has moved up to bantamweight and is undefeated in his three fights there. In an interview with Mike Bohn of MMA Junkie, The Machine said, “He [Deiveson] beat one former champion in this weight class and one title challenger, and he beat Rob Font. And Figueiredo is former champion, and he has big name, and he deserves. Umar, he only beat Cory Sandhagen from top 15. Only one guy he beat from top 15 and why he deserve to fight for the belt?” 

As things stand, the UFC never forces a fighter, especially not a champion, to face someone they don’t want to. So apparently it seems that Umar is not next. However, this is not what the undefeated Dagestani’s camp is claiming. At least two from Umar’s side just boasted about the fight between the two.

Umar’s brother and Bellator champion, Usman Nurmagomedov, took to Instagram and accused Dvalishvili of ‘running’ from Umar, promising that his brother will be champ soon, and a dominant one at that. “You can run but you can’t hide. Soon Umar will become undisputed, undefeated bantamweight champion, and will hold this belt for as long as he wants,” Usman wrote. Umar’s manager, Rizvan Magomedov, soon joined in.

Rizvan speculated that even though Merab may not want to face Umar, the UFC might just kinda force him to do so. And the manager, in a rather disrespectfully claimed that the reason Dvalishvili did not want to face Umar was because he was afraid of the stylistic matchup the Dagestani presented.

“I don’t think Merab will be given much of a choice. I understand his reaction, he came a long way and now the fight with Umar is a stylistic nightmare for him,” he said. We can not entirely deny it. Like his Khabib, Umar is a grappler based on Sambo and wrestling, but he has a good balance of striking, grappling, and stamina. He is a hexagonal fighter with a Sambo fighting style that is evenly distributed in all the areas. One major area of advantage for Umar is his ability to switch stances.

Umar uses Muay Thai, kickboxing-style striking from a southpaw stance. This is a style that uses deep kicks and kicks that are not limited to the upper, middle, or lower body to keep the opponent in check. But he does not only stick to that but also flexibly switches to the orthodox stance catering to the situation. This is in stark contrast to other Dagestani fighters who do not switch stances at all, something that even bothers a fighter like Islam Makhachev. However, there seems to be one area that Umar might want to improve.

Although Umar has excellent kick variety, something that has also been vouched by Cory Sandhagen, those lack the power. So his opponents might not take much damage from them. But as long as he has Khabib in his camp, anything is possible. Remember what Belal Muhammad had said ahead of his welterweight title victory over Leon Edwards in the UFC 304 on July 28?

“Training with [Nurmagomedov] and getting advice from him is worth 20, 30, 40, 50 days with anybody else.” Imagine Umar getting this day in and day out! Interestingly, the chatter of Merab vs. Umar started even before the former faced Sean O’Malley on September 14. And this was done by none other than Khabib himself.

Khabib expressed his preference for the fight outcome by referencing the Papakha, saying, “I want Merab to win because it’s going to be very intresting fight. White Papakha vs. Black Papakha. But if O’Malley wins, it’s going to be White Papakha vs. Pink Papakha.” The papakha is a wool hat worn throughout the Caucasus region and beyond, traditionally worn by Dagestani fighters in white color after their victories in the UFC. But Merab doesn’t seem to agree with this, based on what he said prior to the Noche title bout.

Merab Dvalishvili vows to ‘dominate’ Umar Nurmagomedov

Before UFC 306, Merab Dvalishvili made one thing crystal clear—he’s not scared of anyone, especially not Umar Nurmagomedov. Despite the Dagestani’s rising stock and his #2 ranking in the bantamweight division, Dvalishvili is brimming with confidence. When reporters asked him about a potential matchup with Umar, the Georgian didn’t mince words. “I never choose my next opponent. If Umar is next, that’s fine. Me and my team, we’ll train. That fight, I think it’s easy for me. No problem. I will dominate him,” he boldly declared.

For anyone who thinks Dvalishvili is dodging a fight with Umar, think again. The newly crowned champion has faced every challenge thrown his way, and while Umar’s dangerous grappling and striking make him a formidable opponent, Merab is fresh off a victory over Sean O’Malley—arguably the best striker in the UFC today. And let’s not forget, Dvalishvili’s bread and butter is grappling. He’d relish the chance to test it against a fighter like Nurmagomedov.

Right now, though, ‘The Machine’ is soaking in his title win, not rushing to name his next opponent. Meanwhile, Umar’s team is doing their part, trying to make a case for why the Dagestani should get the next shot before any other contenders, like Deiveson Figueiredo, step into the picture.

So, who should Merab take on next? Does Umar deserve the shot, or should someone else get a crack at the new champ? The bantamweight division is on fire, and it’s anyone’s guess who’s next in line for the throne.