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Merab Dvalishvili will face off against Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 on Jan. 18 for the bantamweight title. Should he successfully defend his belt, 'The Machine' already has two more opponents in mind. Even more surprising, Dvalishvili is eager to face all three opponents in the first four months of 2025.
The 33-year-old won the title against Sean O'Malley at Noche UFC 306 in September 2024, defeating 'Sugar' in resounding fashion via unanimous decision. But in an unexpected revelation, the bantamweight champion shared his desire to fight O'Malley again in 2025.
Alongside that, Dvalishvili would be eager to face Petr Yan in 2025, which would be a rematch of their UFC Fight Night 221 main event clash, won by the Georgian.
During a recent interview with ESPN MMA, the 135-pound titleholder shared his fight plans for the first four months of next year, saying:
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"I want to be busy in 2025. I'm fighting early, on January 18th, and I wanna be busy. I know O'Malley wants to come back in April, I think Petr [Yan] will be ready in March. So, maybe fight Petr in March, rematch [O'Malley] in April. And whoever is the next contender, I will clear the division again."
Check out Merab Dvalishvili's comments below (19:30):
Aljamain Sterling frustrated with Merab Dvalishvili's quick turnaround time for UFC 311
UFC 311 will feature two title fights, with Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan for the lightweight belt serving as the main event and Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov the co-main event.
A close friend of Dvalishvili, and a former bantamweight champion, Aljamain Sterling, recently shared his frustration with the UFC's decision to book 'The Machine' for January's pay-per-view card.
Sterling himself had previously been put in an awkward position when he faced Sean O'Malley at UFC 292 just three months after he beat Henry Cejudo at UFC 288.
After Dvalishvili's fight was announced, 'Funk Master' was interviewed by Ariel Helwani, where he said:
"This fight 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."
Check out Aljamain Sterling discuss Merab Dvalishvili's next fight below:
