Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is planning to guide a prominent member of his team to title glory at the expense of a riled-up Merab Dvalishvili next month.
Dvalishvili has his first defense of the bantamweight title in the calendar, coming four months on from his crowning against Sean O’Malley at the Sphere this past September.
To cement his grip on the crown, the Georgian is tasked with pushing away a challenge from undefeated contender Umar Nurmagomedov, cousin of the legendary Khabib.
“The Machine” had been vocal in attempting to dismiss Nurmagomedov’s title claims, branding the Dagestani unworthy of the opportunity despite his five-round triumph over Cory Sandhagen last time out.
But with the UFC higher-ups seeing things differently, Dvalishvili will indeed put the gold on the line against the highly regarded 28-year-old at UFC 311 on Jan. 18. In the lead-up, the champ still isn’t keeping quiet about his frustration, and that threatened to boil over at the recent on-sale press conference in Las Vegas.
During an interview posted by Red Corner MMA on Instagram, Khabib assessed Dvalishvili’s ongoing fury about his cousin being granted a first championship opportunity, questioning whether the Georgian is cut out to occupy a throne on MMA’s biggest stage.
“I think when (Dvalishvili was) beginning his career, he was acting good. When he became champion, he cannot deal with this,” Khabib said. “Because life changing. Before champion and after champion, there is two (lives). You have to deal with this.
“About Umar (getting a) gift — I think Umar deserves (it). I don’t know why Merab (is) nervous,” Khabib continued. “Umar’s here not because he is my cousin. He’s here because he’s 18-0 and 6-0 in the UFC. Umar wants to create his legacy. January 18, he will show why Merab (is) nervous.”
Should Khabib and his team have their way in Los Angeles, Dvalishvili will return to life as a contender soon enough.
But “The Machine” is hell bent on proving his view of Nurmagomedov correct come fight night early next year by emphatically stalling the Russian’s title ambitions in their tracks.
