The hype for UFC Baku kept rising as Merab Dvalishvili and Belal Muhammad had an interaction with the fans and media during a Q&A session. However, not every question came in as an easy feat for the fighters, especially for the former welterweight champion. It’s worth noting that he got bombarded with a peculiar question while he was sitting right beside the bantamweight champion. And the fans got to see Muhammad’s diplomatic side because of that. But what was the question? 

A reporter targeted ‘Remember The Name’ and asked him to choose a better fighter between ‘The Machine’ and Umar Nurmagomedov. He seemingly wanted to know who was the more dangerous and better fighter, as per the Palestinian star. Of course, the reporter did put a disclaimer about the question being a difficult one. But Dvalishvili intervened. He lashed back at the media person and said, “You’re a schemer, brother!” But it was Muhammad’s response that caught everyone’s eye. 

Back when Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov clashed at UFC 311, ‘The Machine’ rose victorious via a unanimous decision. However, ‘Remember The Name’ didn’t agree with the judges. Taking to X, he claimed that it was actually the Dagestani’s win. He wrote, “Umar 3-2.” But this time, Muhammad chose to play it safe. 

In response to the ‘tough question’ by the reporter at Baku, Muhammad said, “Nah, honestly, that was one of the best fights I’ve ever seen, right? Obviously, Merab won the fight. But I think they’re both each other’s toughest opponents. Obviously, Merab is the king of the division right now. But Umar, once he gets healthy, I think another great fight. So, I’m excited to see what happens next.”

While Dvalishvili didn’t really receive any heat or criticism from the Palestinian, the same wasn’t true when the roles were reversed. No, ‘The Machine’ didn’t directly criticize Muhammad. However, the Georgian champion’s coach, John Wood, had a different opinion. Let’s see what he had to say. 

Merab Dvalishvili’s coach gets honest about Belal Muhammad vs. Jack Della Maddalena

During a recent conversation with James Lynch from Sportskeeda, John Wood revealed his honest opinion on Belal Muhammad’s stance against Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315. Of course, he claimed that predominantly sticking to striking was the biggest mistake that the former welterweight champion made during the bout. While it was a gutsy move to go up against someone who has 67% of his wins from KO/TKO, it wasn’t a wise one. And it definitely wasn’t fruitful. 

Wood said, “Man, that was great. Jack looked awesome, gritty, tough. Great performance. Went out there with a great game plan. Executed it. I think that, maybe, Belal kind of got a little bit too carried away in the ego sense of ‘Canelo Hands’ and ‘I’m not gonna shoot a takedown, I’m not gonna do this.’ I don’t know, but it was the wrong mindset. Do what you do that got you that title. Don’t go away from that until you need to.”

Nevertheless, Muhammad has now set his aim on Kamaru Usman with the #1 welterweight contender’s spot on the line. After Usman’s victory over Joaquin Buckley, it seems like the best move for the UFC. And for Dvalishvili, a rematch against Nurmagomedov is the most exciting step, according to ‘Remember The Name’. The reason is simple. ‘Young Eagle’ broke his hand during his previous bout against the bantamweight champion. He wasn’t able to execute his 100%. But things might change if a completely healthy Nurmagomedov fights Dvalishvili. What’s your opinion on the rematch between Nurmagomedov and Dvalishvili?