Merab Dvalishvili is less than three weeks from defending his bantamweight crown against Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320, but the champion has his sights set beyond the Octagon. The Georgian standout has reignited his rivalry with Umar Nurmagomedov, while firing sharp accusations at Khabib Nurmagomedov’s team.

The feud traces back to UFC 311 in January, where Merab Dvalishvili retained his title by grinding out a unanimous decision win over Umar in a grueling five-round battle. Umar showed flashes early, yet Merab’s relentless pace broke him down in the later rounds. In the aftermath, questions about matchmaking and favoritism bubbled to the surface — questions Dvalishvili has only amplified as UFC 320 approaches.

‘Team Khabib’ faces nepotism accusations from Merab Dvalishvili

From the very beginning, Merab Dvalishvili made it clear he never wanted to fight Umar Nurmagomedov. Outside of a win over Cory Sandhagen, ‘Young Eagle’ had little top-tier experience, and Dvalishvili hasn’t stopped hammering the ‘nepotism’ angle ever since. When recently asked by MMA Junkie about the Russian star’s upcoming fight, ‘The Machine’ pulled no punches: “I hope Bautista whoops Umar’s a– so I can fight Bautista next, because Bautista, he’s a good, good fighter. You know, he has a good winning streak, he beat a lot of good guys, and he’s a deserving guy too. And he doesn’t have—his cousin’s name is not Khabib.”

Following this, Merab Dvalishvili has ramped up his criticism of Khabib Nurmagomedov & his team, accusing them of undermining other contenders’ paths to a title shot, citing Mario Bautista as a prime example. “That’s why he needs to win nine fights to maybe fight for the belt,” Merab Dvalishvili said. Bautista, who fights out of Arizona, made his UFC debut in 2019 with a loss to Cory Sandhagen. Since then, he has quietly built an impressive résumé.

In fact, since 2022, Bautista has strung together eight consecutive victories, defeating notable names such as Patchy Mix and José Aldo along the way. Looking ahead, with his upcoming fight at UFC 321 against Umar Nurmagomedov, Bautista could be positioning himself for a future title shot against Merab Dvalishvili.

Merab Dvalishvili outlines his comeback schedule for next year

Merab Dvalishvili is 34 and fighting like a man possessed. Whether he holds onto his belt or not, the Georgian star has made one thing clear—he wants to fight as often as possible because, as he puts it, he simply loves the game. It wasn’t always smooth sailing. Dvalishvili entered the UFC with two straight losses, a rocky start that might’ve broken others. Instead, he rebounded in 2018 and never looked back. ‘The Machine’ lived up to his name, using bottomless cardio and relentless pressure to drag elite names like Henry Cejudo, José Aldo, and Petr Yan into deep waters and shut them down.

That grind eventually paid off. At UFC 306, he shocked Sean O’Malley to capture bantamweight gold. Months later, he defended it against Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311, proving yet again that grit can beat talent. By June, he’d already squeezed in a second fight, and this October he’s back for a third defense—one of the busiest stretches of any active UFC champ. But can he really keep up that breakneck schedule?

Speaking to MMA Junkie, Merab Dvalishvili admitted the calendar might slow him down after October: “Like no I’m not after December I’m not going to fight January because January is tough challenge for me to fight January. That’s why I don’t want to fight in January woman first you know like when uh they mention first because January is tough because like you know in December there is lots of holidays Christmas new year and my birthday and then gym is closed and um it’s uh in like you know nobody not many people training that time and fight in general it’s a little bit hard But uh but February I’ll be ready fight again.

Now, with UFC 320 just around the corner, Dvalishvili prepares for Cory Sandhagen while the Nurmagomedov camp readies Umar for Bautista. The crossroads are clear: if Merab wins again and Umar falters, the “nepotism” narrative gains weight. If both prevail, the UFC could face renewed calls for a rematch.

The machine-like pace that earned Dvalishvili his nickname continues to push him into uncharted territory. But how long can he maintain that breakneck schedule, and will his rivalry with Umar remain a shadow over his reign?