The ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley era abruptly ended last weekend, and now, the era of Merab Dvalishvili has begun. However, former double champion Henry Cejudo believes ‘The Machine’s title reign may not last as long as he’d have hoped for given what he thinks Dana White and Co. have in store for him next. If you’ve guessed it already, it’s his speculated first title defense against Umar Nurmagomedov.

Although it’s not official, all the signs point towards Umar Nurmagomedov getting the title shot next, and Henry Cejudo believes that may not bode well for the newly crowned champion, Merab Dvalishvili. ‘The Machine’ was over the moon when he won the belt and was visibly emotional as he embraced his team. But when Joe Rogan asked him about his thoughts about Nurmagomedov being considered for his first title defense, there was a long pause from the Georgian, and his reply had nothing to do with Khabib’s cousin. Cejudo believes that Dvalishvili is already showing signs of discomfort with the Umar matchup.

“When they ask Merab Dvalishvili the question [about Umar Nurmagomedov]… He never really answered the question,” Henry Cejudo stated on the ‘Pound 4 Pound’ podcast. “Merab knows, man. Merab has respect for Umar and I personally just think he’s in trouble. So, Merab’s going to be one of these fights, with all due respect.” Also, ‘Triple C’ claims that the Georgian star cannot ignore fighting Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s cousin because, more often than not, the UFC does what it wants.

“If you don’t fight a guy like Umar, the UFC’s gonna make you fight a guy like Umar. Your career as a champion is pretty much done,” Henry Cejudo added. But like we’ve mentioned already, there is still no announcement about that fight yet, but Umar Nurmagomedov’s team remains confident about him bagging that title shot next.

Team Khabib is confident about Umar Nurmagomedov fighting Merab Dvalishvili for the title

It didn’t take too much time for Umar Nurmagomedov to share a message with Merab Dvalishvili after his UFC 306 triumph at the Sphere. He lauded the Georgian’s performance and has asked him to stay prepared for their fight in the coming months because he’s the “real challenger.” This prompted his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, to confirm that the UFC has indeed chosen Umar as the next challenger to Dvalishvili’s title, which means Sean O’Malley may not get his rematch.

“I spoke to [The UFC] [Umar Nurmagomedov] next congratulation to Merab nobody deserve it more than him,” Ali Abdelaziz wrote on X. If that wasn’t enough, Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov also sent a warning to Merab Dvaklishvili of what waits him when he fights Umar. “You can run but you can’t hide. Soon Umar will become undisputed, undefeated bantamweight champion, and will hold the belt for as long as he wants,” Usman wrote on social media as reported by ‘Red Corner MMA’.

Do you think Merab Dvalishvili’s title reign is ending soon? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.