Since Merab Dvalishvili became the bantamweight champion after dethroning Sean O’Malley at the one-and-done UFC 306, his doubters have been pressuring him to face Dagestani sensation Umar Nurmagomedov, who recently made a significant jump in the rankings. Along with his critics, calls for Dvalishvili to put his title on the line against ‘Young Eagle’ have intensified. According to rumors from Red Corner MMA, Nurmagomedov is all set to face Song Yadong at a yet-to-be-announced UFC event in Tampa Bay.

Amidst all the Nurmagomedov fight rumors, the ducking allegations seem to follow Dvalishvili, and he has not escaped scrutiny. Recently, a fan of Umar Nurmagomedov took a jab at Dvalishvili on X, posting a picture of Jon Jones with the caption, “Smile if you ducked the #1 contender in your division,” while also calling out the heavyweight king, who has faced criticism for seemingly evading a fight with interim title holder Tom Aspinall.

Dvalishvili’s teammate and friend, Aljamain Sterling, addressed that fan and slammed the critics, writing on the same thread, “You guys are exhausting; constantly repeating the same stuff makes no sense.” This caught the attention of Nurmagomedov, who replied to Sterling in the same thread, claiming, “He’s ready to fight with you in November, but not with me, that’s why, Aljamain.”

This points to Merab Dvalishvili’s challenge to Sean O’Malley, who has been accusing the judges and ‘The Machine’ of cheating since his loss, claiming he won the first, third, and fifth rounds. Irritated by O’Malley’s accusations, Dvalishvili offered him a rematch at the upcoming UFC 309 event at Madison Square Garden.

However, O’Malley turned down the fight, as he suffered a torn left labrum in his hip, which will keep him away from the octagon for some time due to surgery. But this does not take away Sean O’Malley’s ability to critique Dvalishvili again.