UFC 298 has certainly lived up to the hype! From absolute wars to Merab Dvalishvili’s interaction with Mark Zuckerberg, to a newly crowned UFC champion in the main event of the card. Dana White and the fighters fighting at the event, along with all the staff, have successfully delivered an amazing card to the fans.
Now with such an amazing event under the books, it’s only fair that the UFC CEO White started off the post-fight press conference with a big smile on his face. He made some huge announcements, but among those; he revealed that Merab Dvalishvili would get the next shot at the title after the Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera fight at UFC 299.
Dana White talks about Merab Dvalishvili’s performance
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Merab Dvalishvili arguably had one of his best performances against the former double champion, Henry Cejudo. Despite having a rocky start in the beginning, “The Machine” began to pick up the pace in the second and third rounds, drowning “Triple C” in his pressure.
During the post-fight press conference, when asked if Merab Dvalishvili deserved the next title shot, Dana White, agreed that the Georgian was next in line. He stated, “He looked good tonight man. he came in and listen, when you’re, you know, in my opinion, you can’t take three years off in a combat sport. It’s never done well for anybody.”
White was critical of Cejudo taking three years off from the sport in his prime, and called out how the fight played out. “And Cejudo, you know, looked great in the first round. [I] thought he started to gas out in the second round. Merab just got stronger as the fight went on.”
Dvalishvili’s dominant performance against a former UFC double champion like Henry Cejudo certainly put out a bold statement throughout the UFC bantamweight division. This even got the attention of another dominant prospect in the division.
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Umar Nurmagomedov calls out “The Machine” for a future fight for the Bantamweight Title
Merab Dvalishvili’s performance against Henry Cejufo was nothing less than spectacular. His performance would’ve without a doubt given his fellow bantamweight the absolute chills. However, fellow bantamweight and Khabib Nurmagomedov’s cousin, Umar Nurmagomedov, called him out instead. He took to twitter to congratulate “The Machine”, while also setting up a future fight.
In the tweet, Nurmagomedov wrote, “@MerabDvalishvil congratulations You deserve title shot And I think you will become champion. White Papakha vs Black Papakha at the and of the year”
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@MerabDvalishvil congratulations
You deserve title shot
And I think you will become champion.
White Papakha vs Black Papakha at the and of the year— Umar Nurmagomedov (@UNmgdv) February 18, 2024
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Given how dominant Dvalishvili seemed in his 10-fight winning streak, do you guys think that he should be next in line for the title shot after the outcome of UFC 299? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
Also Read: UFC 298: Alexander Volkanovski vs. Ilia Topuria – Results, News and Updates