Aljamain Sterling makes "false claims" allegation against Umar Nurmagomedov's two-word comeback amid beef over Merab Dvalishvili

Umar Nurmagomedov and Aljamain Sterling have been going back and forth on X (formerly Twitter), with Nurmagomedov accusing Sterling's friend, Merab Dvalishvili, the reigning bantamweight champion, of avoiding a fight with him.

Sterling refuted Nurmagomedov's claims, stating that Dvalishvili is not avoiding the fight, but simply needs time like any other champion.

Nurmagomedov delivered an impressive performance against Cory Sandhagen in August, winning the fight via unanimous decision. This victory positioned him as a top contender for the bantamweight title. He was hoping for a title shot against the winner of the fight between then-champion Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili.

At UFC Noche 306, headlined by the bantamweight title fight between Sean O'Malley and Merab Dvalishvili, the Georgian fighter secured a victory over O'Malley by unanimous decision. During the post-fight octagon interview, when Joe Rogan asked about his first title defense, Dvalishvili avoided mentioning Nurmagomedov's name.

Dvalishvili is ready to fight in March, but Nurmagomedov, being Muslim, doesn’t fight during Ramadan. On the other hand, the Georgian was prepared for a rematch against O'Malley in November, which led the Dagestani fighter to accuse Dvalishvili of avoiding a potential clash with him.

Sterling stepped in to defend Dvalishvili and stated that the champ needed time to prepare for Nurmagomedov's style of fighting and was not avoiding him. He assured that the fight between Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov would surely come to fruition down the line.

“It’s a completely different style of fight. If he had to choose his ideal return he would rather [take] more time to recover and prepare properly like most champs do. You guys will share the octagon one day"

Reacting to this, Nurmagomedov expressed his frustration on X, stating he believes it's a silly excuse, writing:

“cheap excuse”

In response, Sterling accused Nurmagomedov of making "false claims" about Dvalishvili avoiding him. 'Funk Master' claimed Nurmagomedov himself wouldn't make such quick turnarounds if he was the champion. He wrote:

"Brother, this is a lazy rebuttal. Everything I said was accurate. If you were champ you would NEVER turn around for quick fights, and on your opponents desired timeline. You can’t use these false claims. Merab has competed against so many top guys and former champions and won. Earn it like the rest of us"

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Umar Nurmagomedov is ready to fight anyone before Ramadan

Umar Nurmagomedov took to X to express his frustration with Merab Dvalishvili for avoiding him. He said he wouldn’t wait for the title fight and if it doesn't happen before Ramadan, he is willing to fight anyone else.

He wrote:

“If Merab is going to avoid me, I won't wait for him. And I'll fight with anyone UFC suggests before ramadan”