Merab Dvalishvili has been going off on the Dagestani fighters ever since he defeated Umar Nurmagomedov. Defending his bantamweight title, Nurmagomedov was being touted as one of the toughest fights of Dvalishvili’s career. With an unbeaten record, most UFC experts gave their votes in favor of the Dagestani to win the title. However, when the octagon door closed, it appeared to be a completely different scenario.
Umar Nurmagomedov did show early promises in the initial couple of rounds. However, as the rounds went on, Dvalishvili looked more and more composed. Making a great comeback, he came back strongly to win the final three rounds and defend his title successfully. Now, after having defeated one of his most hyped opponents, Dvalishvili has recently taken a dig at Nurmagomedov’s overconfidence.
“[Umar] thought he would win in every aspect, but everyone saw what happened and now everyone is laughing at him. In general, whatever you say before the fight comes back to you later,” said Dvalishvili.
🗣️ Merab Dvalishvili:
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 16, 2025
"[Umar] thought he would win in every aspect, but everyone saw what happened and now everyone is laughing at him.
In general, whatever you say before the fight comes back to you later."
(via. Europop) #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/hPuu7wAbVI
Meanwhile, Dvalishvili has spoken about other Dagestani fighters. He recently gave his two cents about Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Merab Dvalishvili Claims Khabib Nurmagomedov Never Met A ‘Worthy’ Opponent
Khabib Nurmagomedov has been one of the absolute legends of the UFC. Going undefeated, ‘The Eagle’ is often cited as the ultimate fighter of the promotion. However, Merab Dvalishvili begs to differ. Speaking about the ‘unbeatable’ persona of Khabib, the Georgian champion has asked the fans to burst out of the bubble.
In a recent interaction with ‘Europop’, Dvalishvili stated, “Dagestanis are really good fighters. They have always excelled in martial arts… But at the same time, they are ordinary people, heavenly forces do not help them. They are ordinary athletes and others can defeat them, as you saw in my case. Khabib went undefeated, but he simply did not meet a worthy opponent.
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Merab Dvalishvili on Dagestani fighters:
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 15, 2025
"Dagestanis are really good fighters. They have always excelled in martial arts… But at the same time, they are ordinary people, heavenly forces do not help them.
They are ordinary athletes and others can defeat them, as you saw in my… pic.twitter.com/5SVmFFwRm8
Surely, this is quite a big statement to make. And while Dvalishvili has defended his belt only once, a lot of tests still await him. Can he keep up with the good work in the future? Only time will tell.
Also Read: Merab Dvalishvili Targets April Comeback, Names Petr Yan And Sean O’Malley As Top Picks
