Merab Dvalishvili of Georgia (blue gloves) talks with Joe Rogan after Dvalishvili defeats Sean OíMalley of the United States (not pictured) during Riyadh Season Noche UFC 306 at The Sphere. Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Why Merab Dvalishvili needs to call out Umar Nurmagomedov

By Aaron Case | Last updated Nov 27, 2024 8:43 PM ET

Georgian wrestler Merab Dvalishvili is the rightful UFC bantamweight champion. But he’s not acting like the top dog in his division.

No. 2 bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov is clearly the best next matchup for Dvalishvili. Nurmagomedov is undefeated (6–0 in the UFC, 18–0 overall), and he’s coming off a unanimous decision over a big name in Cory Sandhagen.

However, Dvalishvili seems intent on defending his title against someone he’s already beaten. While weakly claiming he’s willing to take on Nurmagomedov, Dvalishvili has been more interested in fights against guys he’s already beaten — namely, Sean O’Malley and, most recently, Petr Yan.

After Yan defeated Deiveson Figueiredo in the UFC Fight Night main event on Saturday, Dvalishvili plastered his social media with calls for a Yan rematch at UFC 313 on March 8.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Merab Dvalishvili (@merab.dvalishvili)

Nurmagomedov took offense, blasting Dvalishvili and his entire country by posting on X: “'A coward will always find an excuse for his retreat.’ — Georgian proverb.”

“A coward will always find an excuse for his retreat.”
— Georgian proverb
— Umar Nurmagomedov (@UNmgdv) November 24, 2024

Dvalishvili’s main excuse is that Nurmagomedov needs more notable fights before challenging for the title. After all, Sandhagen is the only household UFC name on the Dagestani’s resume.

Meanwhile, the Georgian has knocked off a string of champions in his last four fights: O’Malley, Henry Cejudo, Yan and José Aldo. But Dvalishvili’s argument isn’t strong enough.

Despite their resume differential, Dvalishvili should stop asking for rematches with strikers like O’Malley and Yan and focus instead on a grappling extravaganza with Nurmagomedov. If Dvalishvili truly believes the No. 2 contender isn’t ready, then he should prove it in the octagon.

Then, he can enjoy a front-row seat to an epic title eliminator between O’Malley and Yan.

Aaron Case

Aaron Case is a die hard Yankees fan from upstate New York who fuels his writing with too much coffee. When he's not riding the emotional roller coaster that is the MLB season, he's probably daydreaming and doodling or making beats. Follow him on X @AarontheCase1

More must-reads: