Nurmagomedov Questions Dvalishvili After Georgia Slap

Umar Nurmagomedov questioned Merab Dvalishvili's character after the former UFC bantamweight champion slapped a friend of Nurmagomedov's at a wrestling event in Georgia.

The incident occurred at Real American Freestyle's debut event in the country, where Dvalishvili had traveled to grapple Henry Cejudo. According to BJ Penn, Nurmagomedov's friend Ahmad approached Dvalishvili and asked if the Georgian would wrestle Umar at the event. Dvalishvili refused, calling Nurmagomedov a "spoiled guy," before the exchange turned physical with Ahmad. Security separated the two men.

Nurmagomedov's Take On The Dvalishvili Incident

Speaking to Adam Zubayraev in an interview shared by Red Corner MMA, Nurmagomedov drew a hypothetical comparison. "Can you imagine a Georgian coming up to me in Dagestan?" he said, per MMA Fighting. "If a Georgian tells me not to talk to Merab, and I hit him from behind and insult him in my own language, I can't imagine myself doing that. But as a person, how do you live with that?"

Nurmagomedov added that Ahmad never disrespected Dvalishvili during the exchange. "Ahmad walked up to him and said, 'Why are you speaking for someone who isn't even here?' He didn't insult him, didn't say anything rude," Nurmagomedov told the outlet. "He said, 'Tell him to his face what you want to say.'"

The two bantamweights fought in January at UFC 311, where Dvalishvili retained his title via unanimous decision. Nurmagomedov insisted he has moved past the rivalry and is focused on his August 29 clash with Song Yadong at UFC Shanghai. "I have nothing to prove to anyone and I have nothing to prove to Merab," he said.

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• BJPenn — Umar Nurmagomedov on Merab Dvalishvili’s slapping incident with Umar’s friend in Georgia: “How do you live with that?”