Merab Dvalishvili fires back at Umar Nurmagomedov. In a recent appearance on the “Pound 4 Pound” podcast, bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili laid bare the reasons behind his ongoing feud with fellow UFC fighter Umar Nurmagomedov. The tension stems from more than just competition and according to Dvalishvili, it’s about respect, honour, and what he believes are inappropriate actions from Nurmagomedov and his camp.
The tension dates back to their build-up for the fight that took place at UFC 311. During the first press conference, Dvalishvili didn’t hold back. He publicly accused Nurmagomedov of being disrespectful and called him a “fake champion”, comments that ignited the feud.
In his latest comments, Dvalishvili doubled down on those grievances. He said Nurmagomedov or people speaking for him “called me a fake champion” on social media. That, to Dvalishvili, was a line that shouldn’t be crossed. “He doesn’t respect me,” he said. He accused Nurmagomedov of shortcuts inside the UFC, getting opportunities without paying dues while others had earned their shot through hard work and fights.
“No. 1 thing: He didn’t respect me and he called me a fake champion,” Dvalishvili said. “I don’t know if he was tweeting or maybe his assistant or whatever it is. I know it wasn’t [Nurmagomedov’s manager Ali Abdelaziz] because Ali reached out to me and I told Ali and he wasn’t helping him tweet I kind of know who was helping him tweet, but what kind of man you are when somebody’s tweeting for you?
“So I don’t speak good English and we can maybe understand each other, but when I go to Twitter, I make sure I ask my assistant or somebody, maybe my friend, to translate this, but it’s always my words. Maybe help me to translate, but it’s always me. I will never let my manager or my friend or my brother tweet for me to say words that aren’t even mine. So that was a lot of disrespect through words from him, from Twitter.”
Adding to the tension, Dvalishvili became even more annoyed when Nurmagomedov questioned the legitimacy of his championship run, something he finds ridiculous, especially since he is on the verge of setting a new UFC record with four title defenses in one year. Dvalishvili also can’t understand why Nurmagomedov would try to downgrade his achievements, pointing out that doing so would only make any future victory over him look less impressive.
“Also, he did call me a fake champion, so what I was mad about most, you know, he doesn’t respect me as a champion,” Dvalishvili said. “Yes, it’s a fight, we may lose, he was supposed to beat me, one punch can change everything, but I earned it. I earned it to get there, I was champion, and he should respect me because if you’re fighting for a championship and then you beat the champion, you don’t want to beat somebody stupid. You should give the champion respect, that’s what I was most mad about him, he doesn’t respect me.
He says respect is the foundation of martial arts, and he believes Nurmagomedov (or at least the people speaking for him online) have crossed lines that should never be crossed. During the podcast, he questioned whether Nurmagomedov even writes his own posts, suggesting others may be stirring controversy on his behalf. The champion also expressed frustration at what he views as a sense of entitlement from Nurmagomedov, saying the rising contender wants big fights without earning them through the same grueling path everyone else takes.
For now, the tension between Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov continues to build, creating one of the most heated storylines in the bantamweight division. Whether it ends with mutual respect or with fists flying inside the Octagon, this rivalry has already captured the attention of fans. And if the UFC eventually books the fight, it won’t just be about rankings, it will be about pride, respect, and proving who truly belongs at the top of the division.
