Tensions between UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov boiled over ahead of the first UFC 311 press conference.
After weeks of ducking allegations and online banter, Merab Dvalishvili will make his first bantamweight title defense against Umar Nurmagomedov in the UFC 311 co-main event next month. The card is headlined by a UFC lightweight title rematch between Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan.
Nurmagomedov was immediately named the ‘next man up’ to face Dvalishvili after the latter’s title win at UFC 306. The undefeated Nurmagomedov was briefly linked to another fight in December as Dvalishvili expressed indifference to facing the surging contender.
Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov’s relationship was strictly competitive just a few months ago, but things have taken a dark turn in recent weeks. Threats have swirled between the two bantamweight; adding to the immense hype after the UFC 311 fight announcements this week.
Ahead of Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov’s first promotional appearance before UFC 311, the two bantamweight nearly got after it just weeks before their scheduled fight, before security personnel intervened.
Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov nearly threw hands backstage ahead of UFC 311 presser
As you can see in the below clip, Dvalishvili was in the middle of an interview with an MMA media member when Nurmagomedov confronted the bantamweight titleholder. The two fighters exchanged fiery verbal taunts, including Nurmagomedov challenging Dvalishvili to ‘call him’ for a potential face-to-face outside of the venue.
Luckily, cooler heads eventually prevailed and UFC security quickly de-escalated the incident. The UFC 311 press conference went on as planned, despite Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov nearly coming to blows backstage.
The beef between Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov has escalated in recent days after Dvalishvili appeared to offer Petr Yan a title shot following a win at UFC Macau. Nurmagomedov went on a social media tirade in response, further stoking the flames of their adversarial pairing.
Dvalishvili also accused Nurmagomedov of lying to fans regarding a rumored fight against Song Yadong. Initially, Nurmagomedov offered to get scheduled for another bout if Dvalishvili anticipated a modest absence from competition.
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Merab Dvalishvil vs. Umar Nurmagomedov is an early 2025 ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate
Dvalishvili’s teammate, former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, has also gotten involved in banter with Nurmagomedov in recent weeks over dodging allegations. Sterling will face Movsar Evloev in a pivotal featherweight bout this Saturday at UFC 310.
Things have gotten so personal between Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov that Dvalishvili briefly hinted at defending the belt during Ramadan, directly impacting Nurmagomedov’s title chances. But, their UFC 311 booking alleviated any concerns the fight wouldn’t come to fruition anytime soon.
Dvalishvili vs. Nurmagomedov pairs two of the top UFC pound-for-pound fighters against each other to kick off 2025. Dvalishvili won the belt by defeating Sean O’Malley at UFC 306, while Nurmagomedov cemented himself as the No. 1 contender by defeating Cory Sandhagen earlier this year.
It won’t be long until Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov meet in the Octagon. But in the meantime, the two rivals could potentially get the fight started early just weeks before UFC 311.
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