The bantamweight title will be up for grabs in the UFC 311 co-main event on Jan. 18 in Inglewood, Calif. when champion Merab Dvalishvili faces undefeated contender Umar Nurmagomedov. Dvalishvili recognizes that Nurmagomedov is a big challenge but doesn’t think Russian has earned the title shot.
“Umar is a good fighter. It’s a big challenge, but he don’t earn it like the rest of us,” Dvalishvili said on the UFC YouTube channel. “We all know we worked hard to get here. I don’t get anything easy, but Umar someone gets easy. He just complains all the time, nobody wants to fight him. But there are so many good fighters.”
“He fought only [Corey] Sandhagen, no wrestling. I guess he’s using this is excuse, he beat the No. 2 guy. Now, he’s here,” Dvalishvili continued. “He just don’t earn it like how real UFC fighters should earn it. He’s just cocky.”
Merab Dvalishvili hopes to finish Umar Nurmagomedov
Dvalishvili will take a win over Nurmagomedov however it comes, but motivated by Nurmagomedov’s ‘disrespect,’ he’d like to finish the challenger.
“The fight will be really tough. This is a big, big challenge for me because it’s a new, new face and he’s a good fighter,” Dvalishvili said. “He has good kicking, good striking, good wrestling and it’s a new, new challenge.”
“I want to give people what they want and I want to give the UFC what the UFC wants. And I’m tired of listening to Umar’s disrespect,” Dvalishvili continued.
“It’s going to be a tough fight, good fight. Of course I’m going to be looking for a finish. To win against a top opponent and change his zero to one loss, that would be good,” he said. “I’m not fighting somebody like an easy opponent. It’s going to be Umar Nurmagomedov and a win against him, I’ll take it. It doesn’t matter.”