The tension between UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov shows no sign of decreasing ahead of their upcoming title fight.
Dvalishvili recently had his first defense since capturing the 135-pound crown at the expense of Sean O'Malley added to the calendar. Four months on from his triumph inside the Sphere, the Georgian will head to Los Angeles to do battle with an undefeated contender.
"The Machine" is set to co-headline next month's year-opening UFC 311 pay-per-view opposite Nurmagomedov, who has gotten his wish to compete for the gold despite the champ previously dismissing his worthiness when it came to a championship opportunity.
Dvalishvili's repeated attempts to pitch alternative fights drew plenty of backlash from the Dagestani online, and it would appear that the remarks have not been forgotten...
That much was evident when the pair almost came to blows backstage at last week's UFC 311 press conference in Las Vegas before trading verbal barbs on stage.
And during an appearance on Tuesday's episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned, Dvalishvili further addressed his growing disdain for his challenger. He stated that Nurmagomedov needs to say sorry for what he perceived as disrespect or he would be getting "slapped," even if it means the Georgian heading to Dagestan or facing consequences such as prison.
If you come to my face and if you disrespect me, you're going to get slapped," Dvalishvili said. "Don't try that because I'm a man and I will never forgive you, even if I have to go to jail. I don't care, man. I have so much to lose. I don't care [about] this belt, I don't care [about] this money, I don't care [about] this legacy. I'm a man, I live in a respectful way, and that's all I believe.
Especially now I'm a U S. citizen, I can f***ing fight, beat the s*** out of these motherf***ers and I have no problem to pay the bill, ticket, or go to jail. Because I don't care. Don't disrespect me," Dvalishvili continued. "He may get a slap after the fight. ... The fight in the Octagon is not a real fight, it’s a sport. Yeah, [the fight will continue] if Umar does not apologize. ... It’s going to happen, even if I have to go in Dagestan, I will go.
It remains to be seen whether Dvalishvili will deliver on that threat, but the Georgian's frequent altercations with fans at events — the most recent of which happened just this past weekend at UFC 310 — suggests "The Machine" won't hold bak outside of the cage if he feels disrespected.
Regardless, it's safe to say that the build-up toward their collision at the Intuit Dome on Jan. 18 will continue to be a heated one.
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