‘It’s Just Not Right’ – Aljamain Sterling Criticizes UFC 311’s Short-Notice Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov Title Fight
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight champion, Merab Dvalishvili, and No. 1-seeded contender, Umar Nurmagomedov, will collide in the co-main event of the first UFC pay-per-view (PPV) of 2025, UFC 311, on Jan. 18, 2025.
Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov participated in UFC 311’s pre-fight press conference last Friday in Las Vegas. Merab Dvalishvili probably made his last mistake before UFC 311 by taking jibes at Umar Nurmagomedov and his team. But things have started to get interesting as Khabib Nurmagomedov swooped in to train his cousin and Islam Makhachev for their title fights on January 18.
Merab Dvalishvili got his whole team together to poke fun at Umar Nurmagomedov ahead of their upcoming UFC 311 title fight.
Just hours after their UFC 311 fight announcement, the bad blood boiled between UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili and undefeated contender Umar Nurmagomedov. After Dvalishvili initially appeared to dismiss Nurmagomedov’s title shot case, he’ll face the undefeated bantamweight in his first title defense.
Merab Dvalishvili, Aljamain Sterling, and Umar Nurmagomedov
UFC 311 is shaping up to be one of the greatest PPV events of all time, delivering highly anticipated fan-demanded matchups. The main event features Islam Makhachev taking on Arman Tsarukyan, while the co-main event showcases a bantamweight title fight between Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov. However, UFC star Aljamain Sterling has criticized the decision to book the bantamweight title fight on short notice.
Tensions boiled over between Merab Dvalishvili and Usman Nurmagomedov at the UFC 311 press conference, following a heated backstage argument. Dvalishvili didn’t hold back, questioning Nurmagomedov’s legitimacy as a title contender due to his lack of wins over top opponents. Former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling voiced his concerns about the rushed timeline for Dvalishvili’s title defense during The Ariel Helwani Show. In the interview, ‘Aljo’ said,
“[Dvalishvili vs. Nurmagomedov] is being made on six weeks notice. Maybe six-and-a-half. For a title fight? I understand having to do that if you’re a challenger, but as the champion, you shouldn’t be relegated to those type of stipulations. It’s just not right. Then it leaves a bad taste in your mouth as in, ‘Why did I work so hard to get this position to call the shots or some of the shots’? And you’re not even getting a fair shake in it.”
With the fight now officially booked, ‘The Machine’ is ready to defend his title. However, the Georgian fighter remains upset with ‘The Young Eagle’ over his unwarranted social media callouts.
Dvalishvili has warned Umar Nurmagomedov that if he doesn’t apologize after their UFC 311 fight, he’ll go to Dagestan to confront him. The tension between the two was evident during last weekend’s press conference. In an interview with Ariel Helwani, Dvalishvili expressed his frustration over Umar’s online trash talk, saying:
“He [Nurmagomedov] may get slapped after the fight. Because the fighting [inside the cage] not a real fight, it’s a sport. Yeah, if Umar doesn’t apologize [to] me, it’s going to happen. Even if I have to go to Dagestan, I will go. Hey! I love Dagestan and I’ve got so many friends in Dagestan and I respect Dagestan people.”
The Georgian fighter also emphasized that the Dagestani people are good, but he believes ‘The Young Eagle’ made a big mistake. Dvalishvili stated that Umar will have to face the consequences. This escalating trash talk is adding to the hype, setting the stage for a top-tier PPV event.
