Merab Dvalishvili claims UFC barred him from PI because of Umar Nurmagomedov, sends warning to Dagestani: "Jan. 18th, no one will protect you"

Merab Dvalishvili has issued a stern warning to Umar Nurmagomedov ahead of their matchup at UFC 311. Dvalishvili went on a rant against Nurmagomedov, claiming that he was barred from entering the UFC PI because of the Dagestani fighter.

Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov will finally have the opportunity to settle their differences when they meet inside the octagon in the co-main event of UFC 311. The undefeated contender will attempt to become the latest member of the Nurmagomedov clan to become a UFC champion when he challenges Dvalishvili for the bantamweight title.

UFC 311 is the first pay-per-view event of the year and will take place on Jan. 18 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.

Ahead of their matchup, Dvalishvili took to his social media and said he was denied entry to the UFC PI as Nurmagomedov was already present inside the training center and the security didn't want any potentially heated altercations. 'The Machine' then expressed his displeasure and vowed to teach the 28-year-old a lesson at UFC 311, saying:

''I’m here out [in] front of the UFC P.I., and security don’t let me go in because they said, ‘Umar Nurmagomedov is inside,’ and they are protecting him. Don’t worry, guys. I’m not going to smash him before the fight. But Jan. 18, different story. I’m not able to go in UFC P.I. because I was supposed to get treatment for my injury, I was supposed to sign some cards, I was supposed to eat lunch with my friends. What the heck? I’m going to smash this guy because of all the disrespect, all the lies he was saying.''

Dvalishvili continued:

''You better show up, Umar. Today you’re protected. Don’t worry, I’m not going to punch you before the fight. Jan. 18th, no one will protect you.''

Check out the post below:

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Cory Sandhagen is rooting for Umar Nurmagomedov to beat Merab Dvalishvili

There is a lot of hatred between Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov heading into their bantamweight title bout at UFC 311 next year.

In a recent interview with Middle Easy, Nurmagomedov's former opponent Cory Sandhagen previewed the matchup and predicted the unbeaten Dagestani to win, saying:

''I think that Umar probably will win. I just can’t really see a path for Merab to win. I don’t think that he’s going to be able to strike with him...I just don’t really see a path to success for Merab. I think Umar is likely going to defend a lot of those shots, keep it in the striking realm, and just kind of – Umar’s a sniper, man.''

Check out Cory Sandhagen's comments below (11:22):