SUMMARY
- Umar Nurmagomedov's coach Javier Mendez has claimed on multiple occasions that Merab Dvalishvili is a threat for his fighter.
- Umar, however, diasgreed with his coach.
Bantamweight prospect Umar Nurmagomedov has dismissed his coach’s idea about Merab Dvalishvili being a threat. Umar, who is a cousin of UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov, is undefeated in his professional MMA career. His coach Javier claimed Dvalishvili was the only fighter in his division who posed a threat. However, ‘Young Eagle’ disagreed.
Initially, in an interview with Telecomasia.net in October 2023, Umar’s coach Javier Mendez said, “I think the toughest fight for Umar will be Merab Dvalishvili. But I believe that no one can beat this young eagle.”
Moreover, in a recent interview with The Schmo, Mendez doubled down on it. He said, “For me, Umar’s [Nurmagomedov] toughest challenge has been Merab [Dvalishvili]. It’s been Merab. A hundred percent still is.”
Mendez has shown huge respect to Dvalishvili but he takes nothing away from Umar. He is confident that Umar will come out victorious in every battle.
Although Umar may agree with his coach’s confidence, he did not agree with the Dvalishvili-threat comments. In an interview with Ushatayka, Umar said, “Honestly, I can fight with Merab on the ground, wherever he wants. I don’t know why Javier sees such a big threat in him.”
Umar Nurmagomedov doesn’t see Merab Dvalishvili as a threat:
“Honestly, I can fight with Merab on the ground, wherever he wants. I don’t know why Javier sees such a big threat in him. In the stand-up, he can’t say that he is technically equipped.
He is a person who simply has… pic.twitter.com/7G9xmJ50TQ
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 27, 2024
Further, he explained how he could get the better of the bantamweight title contender. He said, “In the stand-up, he can’t say that he is technically equipped. He is a person who simply has physical coordination, he is well prepared, he has good stamina. For myself, I don’t see any threat in him.”
According to reports, we could have witnessed if Dvalishvili was a threat to Umar in 2023. However, their bout was never scheduled due to Dvalishvili’s injury.
Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Merab Dvalishvili was reportedly set to take place in May 2023
After going 16-0 in pro-MMA and earning a POTN bonus for his January 2023 performance against Raoni Barcelos, Umar was in talks of facing one of the higher-ranked fighters. However, he was allegedly being snubbed by them. He even took to X in April 2023, and wrote, “Tired of waiting.”
At the same time, Dana White had also claimed that top-ranked fighters sometimes shy away from taking up fights against strong up-and-coming fighters.
Per a Dominance MMA representative, the UFC offered Umar Nurmagomedov a May 13 main event bout against Merab Dvalishvili, who declined due to injury. They added that the UFC are now looking to book the fight sometime in July.
Per Merab’s manager, Oren Hodak of @ko_reps: “Merab…
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) March 27, 2023
According to Aaron Bronsteter, however, Umar vs. Dvalishvili was definitely in the works. It was reported that ‘The Machine‘ turned down the fight citing an injury. Moreover, the Georgian-born fighter, who has openly claimed he hates Russian fighters and that the fight becomes personal when he is up against them, was looking to fight a higher-ranked opponent.
Umar, however, has another opponent to turn his sights on for the time being. After over a year out due to injury, he returns this weekend for a bantamweight bout.
Umar faces Bekzat Almakhan at UFC Fight Night 238
Umar last graced the Octagon on January 14, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 217. He defeated Raoni Barcelos via first-round KO. In his four UFC bouts, he has won three via stoppages. He was scheduled to face Cory Sandhagen at UFC Fight Night 226 in August 2023 but he withdrew from the event in mid-July due to a shoulder injury.
His next opponent is no less a competitor. Kazakh Bekzat Almakhan has a record of 17-1, according to UFC. Almakhan will be making his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 238 against Umar.
#UFCVegas87 Next Week pic.twitter.com/aErDWYKfXK
— Marcel Dorff 🇳🇱🇮🇩 (@BigMarcel24) February 23, 2024
UFC Fight Night 238 will take place on March 2, 2024, at the UFC Apex facility, in Las Vegas. The event was supposed to take place in Saudi Arabia. However, the change was made in January 2024. The event will be headlined by a heavyweight bout between Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Shamil Gaziev
Umar Nurmagomedov responds to Dvalishvili’s comparisons with Khabib Nurmagomedov
In the same interview with Ushatayka, Umar was asked about a comparison between Dvalishvili, who recently defeated Henry Cejudo via unanimous decision at UFC 298, and Khabib. The Young Eagle was not entertaining anything of the sort. He made it clear that Khabib was on a different level.
As translated from his interview, he said, “No! How’s it even related? Khabib was dominating everyone. He lost third round [first round] [against Henry Cejudo]. Who has done a takedown to Khabib? Who has controlled him? Who he gave a back even once? No, he’s not pressing. He pressing only those, who lets him do. In the first round he was fresh [Cejudo], so he didn’t pressure him. Cejudo took first round.”
Khabib went undefeated in his career with 29 wins. 19 of his 29 wins came via stoppages. Khabib won the UFC Lightweight Championship and defended it three times before retiring.