Merab Dvalishvili again says he’ll fight Umar Nurmagomedov

The words alone indicate begrudging acceptance. But that sentiment is clearly hammered home by the image on the post. The graphic shows that Dvalishvili has taken out multiple former champions (Petr Yan, Jose Aldo and Henry Cejudo), while Nurmagomedov has only knocked off one contender (Cory Sandhagen).

Fans have accused Dvalishvili of being afraid to fight Nurmagomedov. The cousin of UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov, Umar is 18-0 and a dangerous striker and wrestler. But while Dvalishvili’s statements about his potential opponent appear weak, that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s scared.

The Georgian has indicated that he’d prefer a rematch against Sean O’Malley next. O’Malley is a bigger star than Nurmagomedov, so perhaps Dvalishvili is simply chasing a flashier matchup and bigger payday.

Also, O’Malley has argued that he actually beat Dvalishvili at UFC 306 — and claimed that he was injured heading into the fight. Maybe those claims have gotten under Dvalishvili’s skin, and he wants to reinforce the fact that he is the rightful bantamweight champion.

Whatever his reasoning, Dvalishvili may want to take notes from UFC middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis. The South African simply accepts every challenge that comes his way.

The Dvalishvili-Nurmagomedov fight has to happen next. The Georgian needs to stop whining and welcome anyone to come after his crown.