Khabib Nurmagomedov makes scathing accusations about Merab Dvalishvili ahead of UFC 311: "They pressured him and they made him fight"

Khabib Nurmagomedov is less than impressed with Merab Dvalishvili's conduct as the UFC bantamweight champion. During a sitdown with Gorilla Energy, he expressed his belief that the 135-pound titleholder was forced into his UFC 311 title defense against Umar Nurmagomedov.

The leadup to the UFC 311 co-main event has been defined by Dvalishvili's reluctance to face 'The Young Eagle,' who he has repeatedly described as an undeserving title challenger. Umar's cousin, Khabib, feels that had the UFC not allegedly forced Dvalishvili into the fight, it would have never happened.

"On January 18, we're going into the cage and we have to take that belt, and we're going to show that Umar is the best. The difficulty was only because Merab didn't want to fight. I believe that the UFC made Merab fight and they pressured him and they made him fight him. The UFC needed a co-main event fight. That's my personal opinion. Umar after [Cory] Sandhagen was targeting the belt."

Check out Khabib Nurmagomedov's thoughts on Merab Dvalishvili (0:40):

Unfortunately for Dvalishvili, his reservations about fighting Umar must be put to bed as he is now 24 hours away from defending his bantamweight title against his undefeated rival. Ahead of the bout, Dvalishvili has repeatedly accused Umar of disrespect, despite the latter's largely respectful rhetoric.

However, things took a turn at the UFC 311 pre-fight press conference, with Umar gladly taking on the role of a heel by trash-talking an irate Dvalishvili. Despite the mind games and gamesmanship, Khabib will be certain to keep Umar calm and level-headed come fight night.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov has his work cut out for him at UFC 311

Although he retired back in 2020 with a legendary 29-0 record, Khabib Nurmagomedov remains as relevant as ever in MMA. He has become an exceptional coach and cornerman, following in his father's footsteps. At UFC 311, he will corner both Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov.

Makhachev was initially set to defend his lightweight belt in a highly anticipated rematch with a streaking Arman Tsarukyan. Unfortunately, the 155-pound title challenger withdrew from the bout at the last minute due to a back injury. Meanwhile, 'The Young Eagle' challenges Merab Dvalishvili for bantamweight gold.