Merab Dvalishvili promised that he would be the bantamweight champion of the world and that’s what he did when he faced Sean O’Malley at the UFC 306 Noche in the Sphere, Las Vegas on September 14. With a dominant decision victory, ‘Machine’ extended his winning streak to 11 while handing ‘Suga’ only the second loss of his career. Naturally, right after clinching the belt, Merab was asked about his potential next opponent, Umar Nurmagomedov. And that is when the bells for the next fight seemed to have started ringing.

In the first place, the new champion discarded Umar, the current #2 in the bantamweight category, as his next opponent. Umar, who is a cousin to UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov, recently created ripples in the bantamweight category by defeating Cory Sandhagen by a unanimous decision on August 3 in a bantamweight title eliminator bout in UFC on ABC 7. But Merab did not think, that made Umar worthy enough to take a shot at the title. However, that did not stop him from talking about Umar. And that was just limited to fights.

The Georgian fighter took shots at the ancestry of Umar, saying that the undefeated Dagestani was not a real Russian. At the post-fight press conference, Merab stated that Umar Nurmagomedov shouldn’t consider himself to be Russian considering that he is from Dagestan. The statement did not sit well with fellow Dagestani fighter, the current UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev as he was quick to call it out. And that was not without spices and condiments!

“Umar actually not from Russia, he is from Dagestan but he still represents Russia,” Merab had said at the post-fight press conference. To this, Is͏l͏a͏m Ma͏kh͏achev͏͏ reminded, “Merab lives in America.” Then came the ominous warning as he further added, “He has no clue what he is talking about. Dagestan is a part of Russia. He is just playing mind games, but I think Umar will answer all the questions inside the cage.” Well, it is safe to assume, that it is not Merab alone who is playing the mind games.

Just after Merab’s win, Khabib’s manager Ali Abdelaziz had took to X to post a message that almost certainly declared the fight between Merab and Umar. “I spoke to @ufc @UNmgdv next congratulation to merab nobody deserve it more than him 🙏🏾🙏🏾,” Ali had written. Not only Ali, but other prominent members of Team Khabib also joined.

Umar’s brother and Bellator champion Usman took to his X handle to send a cold message to the new champ, “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.” Umar’s manager, Rizvan Magomedov was the next to chime in.

Rizvan speculated that even though Merab may not want to face Umar, the UFC might just force him to do so. In a rather disrespectfully manner, Rizvan 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,” Rizvan said. and this was not enough, we also have Khabib himself in the mix!

Even before, Merab clashed against Sean in the UFC 306 Noche, Khabib had picked his choice of winner and expressed that with a pun. “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,” Khabib had said.

For context, Papakha is a traditional hat worn by the people of the Caucasus region, including Georgia, Dagestan, and Chechnya. It symbolizes honor and bravery, worn by shepherds, warriors, and respected leaders in the Caucasus. Merab’s papakha is specifically tied to Georgian traditions and is typically brown. But why Merab does not want Umar as his opponent?

Merab’s logic was clear. Choosing former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo (24-3-1) as his potential opponent, he had 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?” However, Umar was quick to pick it up.

Umar’s jibe at Merab Dvalishvili amid advice from a former champion

This statement by the ‘Machine’ caught Umar Nurmagomedov, who took to his X handle to respond to his hypocritical statement, “When Merab’s friend, Topuria fought for the title, after 6 consecutive wins, and beating only one top 5 ranked opponent Josh Emmet, I don’t remember that Merab was desperately protesting against such ‘unfairness.” Interestingly, even though the camera panned to Umar during his post-fight octagon interview, Dvalishvili refused to acknowledge him.

But Umar made his intentions clear right after the fight was over. “White Papakha vs Black Papakha Have to be Congratulations @MerabDvalishvil Right now you champion You deserve this belt Enjoy,” he had twisted. Merab on the other hand, was asked about the next step in his career, to which the Georgian fighter responded, “Let’s leave it like this, I’ve just won the belt.” Meanwhile, a former champion has some advice for Merab.

former UFC Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman thinks Umar Nurmagomedov is the perfect opponent to elevate UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili’s profile. “Merab is not afraid, but I know he’s worried about a guy like Umar, and sometimes those are the guys that really put you on that next level. Merab might come out there and look like freaking the best we’ve ever seen,” Usman said on his “Pound 4 Pound” podcast with Henry Cejudo. He also referred to his rivalry with Colby Covington.

“So I needed that dance partner. Colby Covington gave me that, and so that’s what Merab – at this point, I think if I had any advice for Merab, it’s to embrace that. It’s to embrace that. You’re right. When they did ask him that question, he kind of danced around it,” Usman said.

Indeed, the fight, if takes place, is going to be neck-to-neck. Umar’s dangerous grappling and striking make him a formidable opponent. Merab’s bread and butter are also grappling. He’d relish the chance to test it against a fighter like Umar. “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,” Merab confidently declared. Do you think Umar should be the opponent for Merab to face next? State your thoughts in the comments.