Merab Dvalishvili explains wanting to fight Sean O’Malley in November but not Umar Nurmagomedov

Merab Dvalishvili realized his lifelong goal of becoming a UFC champion after beating Sean O'Malley at Noche UFC 306 in September. With contender Umar Nurmagomedov assumed to be next in line for a title shot, Dvalishvili's recent comments have confused fans.

'The Machine' stated that he would not be interested in facing Nurmagomedov until February/March and would be open to a rematch with O'Malley as early as November 2024.

'Young Eagle' accused the bantamweight champion of trying to schedule their title clash for the month of Ramadan to face a diminished version of Nurmagomedov.

During a recent interview with MMA Junkie, the Georgian explained why he would be open to facing O'Malley far sooner than Nurmagomedov. He said this:

"I already fought him, and it's easy to come back because we're both in the same situation. We both fought on September 14th and we would both step back [into the octagon] on the same day. But when somebody else has been ready for me, preparing for me, that's a different story. With O'Malley it's easy, we're both in the same situation."

He continued:

"That's why I told him we could do a quick turnaround for November... But to fight somebody new, somebody with a different style. Yeah, I need time. I need two or three months."

Catch Merab Dvalishvili's comments below (3:25):

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Aljamain Sterling defends Merab Dvalishvili over being accused of ducking Umar Nurmagomedv

Merab Dvalishvili's longtime friend and teammate, Aljamain Sterling, has fired back at fans who have accused the bantamweight champion of avoiding a clash with Umar Nurmagomedov.

'Young Eagle' echoed those sentiments, no doubt adding fuel to the fans' fire raging against 'The Machine'.

A fan account on X posted a picture of Dvalishvili standing next to Jon Jones, whom many fans have accused of avoiding a matchup with interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.

Sterling came across the post online and fired back at the fan, writing this:

"You guys are exhausting. Constantly repeating stuff that makes NO sense. He just won the belt. Merab is Christian, not Muslim. Making one man’s religious beliefs the cause for 'ducking' is baffling. How the heck is that Merab’s fault?? Make it make sense. That’s right, you can’t!"

See Aljamain Sterling's defense of Merab Dvalishvili below: