Merab Dvalishvili vows to humble "spoiled little baby" Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311

Merab Dvalishvili plans to "humble" Umar Nurmagomedov for being "disrespectful."

In September 2024, Dvalishvili secured a life-changing win against Sean O'Malley to become the new UFC bantamweight champion. The Georgian grappler didn't have much time to celebrate, as the 125-pound division is stacked with top contenders.

On Jan. 18, 'The Machine' looks to secure his first bantamweight title defense in the UFC 311 co-main event. Dvalishvili plans to add another impressive name to his resume, while the undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov is focused on etching his name into promotional history.

Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov have exchanged harsh words on social media and in person. During an interview with The Schmo, the reigning bantamweight champion had this to say about his upcoming opponent being "disrespectful":

"I'm just going to make him humble. I think Umar is spoiled little baby. He's been disrespectful."

Dvalishvili followed up by saying:

"I don't want to talk. I just want do it, you know? January 18, I'm just going to prove it. I'm working really hard, and you guys know, every time I fight against top contenders, I make them look easy. So, I think I will do the same again."

Watch Merab Dvalishvili's comments starting at 1:30 below:

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Merab Dvalishvili isn't focused on finishing Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311

Merab Dvalishvili's last finish inside the Octagon was a second-round TKO against Marlon Moraes in September 2021. Since then, the 34-year-old has secured consecutive decision wins against Jose Aldo, Petr Yan, Henry Cejudo and Sean O'Malley.

During the previously mentioned interview with The Schmo, Dvalishvili was asked if he would prioritize a finish against Umar Nurmagomedov. 'The Machine' responded by saying:

"I'm going to look for the finish, but I'm not saying nothing. All I want is to win, beat him because he has 18 and 0 [record], which is undefeated. He was never defeated before. He is like amateur world champion, Russian champion, Dagestan champion, sambo champion. He's Khabib's cousin and his brother. Khabib never lost before. I will be the first who gives him loss." [2:15-2:48]

Umar Nurmagomedov enters his UFC 311 matchup against Merab Dvalishvili with an undefeated professional MMA record of 18-0, including six wins inside the Octagon.

Nurmagomedov's breakout performance came in August 2024 when he dominated Cory Sandhagen to a unanimous decision.