Merab Dvalishvili has moved past most rivalries, such as former Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley. But when it comes to Umar Nurmagomedov, things are a lot more personal. And the rivalry is far from over. The tension began when Umar pursued a title shot against the reigning Bantamweight Champion. The Young Eagle did everything in his power to get the title shot. He also verbally assaulted the Georgian fighter and claimed that the champion was ‘ducking’ him.

But Merab Dvalishvili’s reasoning for not accepting the challenge was simple, he believes Nurmagomedov has not done enough to challenge him for the title. The champion argued that Umar’s opportunity was largely influenced by his blood relation to Khabib Nurmagomedov. Despite all the tension and drama, the two eventually faced off. At UFC 311, Dvalishvili delivered a masterclass, showing the world why he is the champion. Even after more than eleven months, he admits he has yet to forgive Umar Nurmagomedov, as he recently revealed.

Merab Dvalishvili slams Umar Nurmagomedov over “fake champion” claim

Merab Dvalishvili has come a long way since stepping into MMA. He overcame countless obstacles, arriving in America with nothing in his pocket. Yet, he never gave up on his dream of becoming a UFC champion. Even while working on a construction site, The Machine did everything he could to achieve his goal. There is no doubt that Devalishvili has worked hard to become the Bantamweight Champion. So, when Umar Nurmagomedov called him a ‘fake champion,’ the Machine took it personally.

“He wasn’t respecting me, and he called me a fake champion. He was tweeting, or maybe his assistant was, whatever it is. I know it wasn’t Ali because Ali reached out to me, and I talked to Ali, and he wasn’t helping him tweet. I kind of know who was helping him tweet. That’s why I was most mad about him. He didn’t respect me. And now he’s making excuses,” Merab Dvalishvili added.

At the same time, Merab Dvalishvili emphasized that he believes Umar Nurmagomedov does not write his own tweets, pointing out that many Russian fighters struggle with English. He shared these insights during the Pound for Pound podcast with Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman.

Now, with the Machine still holding a grudge against the Young Eagle, he is looking past Nurmagomedov and is interested in fighting someone whom he actually respects.

Merab Dvalishvili welcomes the challenge against Alexandre Pantoja

Merab Dvalishvili may not be eager to fight Umar Nurmagomedov again, but he is never one to back down from challenges outside his division. Since joining the promotion, ‘The Machine’ has faced every contender in his path, recently defeating all of them.  While the 135-pound champion has made it clear that he would never fight his friend Alexander Volkanovski, he is interested in fighting another champion, someone who he respects. It is none other than current Flyweight Champion Alexandre Pantoja.

“Umar hasn’t earned [the] fight against me, but facing Pantoja would be ‘honour,’ American fighters deserve to headline White House over me,” Dvalishvili said. “I would never match fix. Not even for $10m.”

With nothing confirmed yet about Merab Dvalishvili’s next move, fans are left wondering what’s next for the bantamweight king. Could a rematch against Umar Nurmagomedov be on the horizon? Share your thoughts below.