In Stake’s exclusive interview with Merab Dvalishvili ahead of his fight with Umar Nurmagomedov, the current UFC Bantamweight Champion has addressed the talk about injuries while revealing he doesn’t believe what his foe has been saying about his before addressing the perceived bitterness between the two.
The pair have formed a feud over the years, with both finding the other difficult to deal with. However, that has only helped to build the excitement that many have when the fight takes at UFC 311. Many have identified the contest between the pair as a potential UFC betting opportunity, as there could be a lot to consider outside normal fight parameters. For instance, the pair may take the anger they appear to have toward each other into the Octagon, which could make for a sloppy fight that could present challenges.
Indeed, it’s entirely possible to expect both men to remain as professional as expected. Dvalishvili is the current champion, having managed to compile a record that reads 18-4 ahead of the bout for the UFC Bantamweight Championship title. He has been able to stand his own when it comes to his fights, going the distance in the vast majority of them. His four defeats have come largely by way of decision (three), with one other by submission. His victories have largely come from the same outcome, including the wins in his last four consecutive fights, which included the controversial victory over Sean O’Malley for the title at UFC 306. Nonetheless, he is the #1 ranked fighter at this weight class, which is why it’s right to expect a professional fight.
For Umar Nurmagomedov, he does represent a threat. The cousin of the legendary Khabib is undefeated in his 18 fights so far, keeping the family name going as a dominant force in the UFC. At the same time, he has often needed to go the distance to record the win, with half of his victories coming by way of decision. He is slightly favored to come out on top in this upcoming contest, given his undefeated reputation, although it won’t be easy.
Injury Scandals? Dvalishvili Has Had Enough Of Accusations
In the interview with Stake, Dvalishvili revealed that he isn’t a fan of his upcoming opponent, especially as he keeps talking about injuries ahead of the bout. He argued that Nurmagomedov continues to talk about injuries as a means of an excuse, suggesting that he already has his competitor beat and is running scared.
When asked about his own injury, he said: Yeah I’m good now. I will post the injury or whatever after the fight, but before I don’t want to show and make people panic. The injury was serious, it was not a joke. I have taken a fight on. Training was serious and I was dealing with a few knocks, but thank God now I’m okay and ready to go!” He had admitted that the injury had stopped him from training, but stated that it wouldn’t be an excuse if he were to lose the fight as he is “ready to go”.
He also noted how he had initially wanted to fight in February or March but would “step up” and fight Nurmagomedov in January after his opponent accused him of trying to dodge the fight and delay it because those months wouldn’t suit him. Now, with no backup fighter scheduled for the fight should either one of them have to pull out at this late stage, Dvalishvili has suggested that Umar is making excuses ahead of the bout.
Dvalishvili said: “Of course he is making excuses, as you guys saw he was training with Henry Cejudo like he was holding gloves to Henry and was punching, and then I saw he was sparring with tough guys and I have heard him say that he was totally fine and that he had little injury a couple of months ago…it is just him making excuses..”
He also went on to address the desire Umar has to receive proof of the injury at the press conference by stating: “Bro, I posted on my Instagram. Go watch what he did. He did so many things. Go on his Twitter. He deleted many, but you are still going to see it. He was disrespectful to me.”
Dvalishvili Admits He Doesn’t Respect Nurmagomedov As A Man, But Does As A Fighter
Speaking about the “bitterness” between the two fighters ahead of their clash, Dvalishvili admitted that he respected his opponent as a fighter, but not as a man. He revealed that he felt Usman was “cocky” and would be “humbled” once he fights him inside the Octagon.
He also stressed that he has never said that he isn’t a good fighter, alluding to the fact that he is taking the upcoming bout very seriously, depsite believing Nurmagomedov doesn’t deserve the title opportunity at the moment.
“I have never said that he’s not a good fighter. I say he’s a good fighter, but he takes shortcuts, you know. He cheated a little bit because he was fighting nobodies and guys on their debut. And then from debut guy, he fought number two, you know, that’s, that’s a gift and that’s a shortcut. And that’s not how you want to earn your title fight.”
He feels that Nurmagomedov should have had at least one more fight against someone like Song Yadong to prove himself. However, he has accepted the challenge despite fighting back against the claim that he is a “fake champion”, according to his opponent following his victory against O’Malley.
UFC 311 Looks Fiery Aside From Dvalishvili and Nurmogomedov Beef
Aside from the potential fireworks between Dvalishvili and Nurmogomedov, there is no denying that the UFC 311 fight card is looking fiery. A total of 14 fights are scheduled to take place, with the card currently formed as the following:
Main Card
- Islam Makhachev (Champion, 26-1) vs Arman Tsarukyan (22-3) for the UFC Lightweight Championship
- Merab Dvalishvili (Champion, 18-4) vs Umar Nurmagomedov (18-0) for the UFC Bantamweight Championship
- Jiří Procházka (30-5-1) vs Jamahal Hill (12-2)
- Beneil Dariush (22-6-1) vs Renato Moicano (20-5-1)
- Kevin Holland (26-12) vs Reinier de Ridder (18-2)
Prelims
- Billy Elekana (7-1) vs Bogdan Guskov (16-3)
- Payton Talbott (9-0) vs Raoni Barcelos (18-5)
- Jailton Almeida (21-3) vs Serghei Spivac (17-4)
- Zachary Reese (8-1) vs Azamat Bekoev (18-3)
Early Prelims
- Grant Dawson (22-2-1) vs Carlos Diego Ferreira (19-5)
- Karol Rosa (18-6) vs Ailín Pérez (11-2)
- Rinya Nakamura (9-0) vs Muin Gafurov (19-6)
- Ricky Turcios (12-4) vs Bernardo Sopaj (11-3)
- Tagir Ulanbekov (15-2) vs Clayton Carpenter (8-0)
Makhachev vs Tsarukyan 2 – Pick Of The Night?
While there are many bouts to look at for potential storylines, there is one that stands out by far.
The contest between Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan will likely have the most eyes on it due to the history that the pair share, as well as the potential ramifications that it may have on a fighter. It will see the pair clash for the UFC Lightweight Championship.
The pair have history, having first fought in April 2019 when they were on the card of the UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Oleinik event. The pair fought in a tight contest that saw several wrestling moves exchanged between the pair of them, resulting in Makhachev being named the victor by unanimous decision.
Now, almost six years later, the pair will get to face off at UFC 311 as the headline event, with the bout on January 18 in Inglewood, California, at the Intuit Dome being billed as “Makhachev vs Tsarukyan 2”.
It’s a contest that is expected to have a lot of interest from fight fans and bettors alike, with many having already made their UFC picks & predictions ahead of the bout. Many believe that the champion will come out victorious as he enters the bout with a 26-1 record. He has had three successful defenses of the title, having beaten Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 to win it before defending it against Alexander Volkanovski on two separate occasions and Dustin Poirier since winning it in October 2022.
That’s not to say that Tsarukyan doesn’t have a chance. He arguably gave Makhachev the hardest fight of his career in his debut contest in UFC. He has a record of 22-3 since his opener, with his own big-name victories having happened to give him the chance to compete for the title. He won that right after defeating Oliveira in his last bout, after being judged to have won the contest by the judges in a split decision at UFC 300.
As a result, the two fighters are expected to put in an exceptional performance on the night, even if the initial bout between the duo was almost six years ago. For those looking to try and predict how the fight may reach its conclusion, many are suggesting that it will come in the same way as the one between Dvalishvili and Nurmogomedov is expected to end: by decision.
For fight fans, this could be a great way for both to end, as it could mean we get to see two intensely fought battles last their duration, seeing some hard-hitting combat MMA on offer, rather than seeing an early finish that disappoints those who have waited so long to see them take place.
