"Truth is proven” - Umar Nurmagomedov claps back at annoyed Merab Dvalishvili for shutting down ‘Young Eagle’ as next title contender

Umar Nurmagomedov has shared a response to Merab Dvalishvili's fiery dismissal of him as a title contender during a recent fan Q&A in Abu Dhabi ahead of UFC 308. 'Young Eagle' has been expected to challenge for the title since his massive victory over Cory Sandhagen in August.

With many viewing Nurmagomedov as the rightful number one contender at 135 pounds, Dvalishvili has stated that the undefeated fighter still needs to prove his contendership with another statement-making win.

During the fan Q&A ahead of UFC 308, 'The Machine' was asked why he was ducking the Dagestani fighter, which visibly irked the champion. He responded by saying:

"Where is this guy?! He's taking a fight. He's scared. He's fighting somebody else. Where is he?! Where is he?! Tell me... I'm not making the fight, Dana White and Hunter [Campbell] are making the decision who I'm going to fight next."

Check out Merab Dvalishvili's response to a fan below:

The 28-year-old came across the video on X, and shared a response to his potential opponent, writing:

"Why raise his voice? No one is shouting at him. The truth is proven by facts, not by volume of voices."

Check out Umar Nurmagomedov's post below:

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Merab Dvalishvili explains being willing to fight Sean O'Malley in November but not Umar Nurmagomedov

Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O'Mallety faced off in the main event of Noche UFC 306 on Sept. 14 for the bantamweight title.

The Georgian fulfilled his lifelong goal of becoming a UFC champion after dominating 'Sugar' for nearly all five rounds en route to a unanimous decision victory.

Many assumed Umar Nurmagomedov to his next opponent. But in an interview several weeks after the fight, 'The Machine' stated that he would only be willing to fight Nurmagomedov in February or March 2025, during Ramadan.

On the other hand, Dvalishvili stated that he would be willing to fight O'Malley in a rematch in November 2024.

'Young Eagle' accused the Georgian of trying to fight a diminished version of him, with the champion now explaining his comments during a recent interview with MMAJunkie. He said:

"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... 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."

Check out Merab Dvalishvili's response to Umar Nurmagomedov below (3:25):