Umar Nurmagomedov has slammed Merab Dvalishvili’s recent claims that his quick rise to the number one contender’s spot is due to his family legacy.
Last weekend at UFC Abu Dhabi, Umar scored the biggest victory of his career with a unanimous decision win over Cory Sandhagen. He is now expected to be the next contender for the bantamweight title and will face the winner of Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili, who are set to clash for the bantamweight title at UFC 306 next month.
Dvalishvili argues that Nurmagomedov does not deserve a title shot just yet and his rapid rise is primarily due to his cousin Khabib, a UFC Hall of Famer who retired undefeated in 2020 after three UFC lightweight title defenses.
In a recent interview with Heavywgt MMA, Dvalishvili took jabs at the rising star.
“He has a push because we all know why,” Dvalishvili said of Umar. “He’s Khabib’s cousin. He’s a good fighter. I have all the respect to him… It leaves me heartbroken when you see sometimes when you working hard. I wasn’t sure if I was getting a title fight until two weeks ago. After I beat Jose Aldo, I was supposed to fight for the belt. After I beat Petr Yan, I was supposed to fight for the belt. After I beat Henry Cejudo, I wasn’t sure. (Nurmagomedov) is a good fighter, but he got pushed. It’s like cheating a little bit to get here. I have 12 fights in the UFC. I beat like seven or eight ranked fighters.”
In a recent tweet, Nurmagomedov fired back at Dvalishvili, setting the record straight about his path to a title shot.
“Yan fought for title after 6 win,” Nurmagomedov tweeted Tuesday. “[O’Malley] after 4 win. Merab could fight for title with Aljo last year. You have to stop crying. You just scared that I will take everything from you.”
What do you make of these comments?
