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A UFC Hall of Famer recently dismissed Merab Dvalishvili's claims that he was denied entry into the PI to train for their bantamweight title fight against Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311. He explained the real reason and noted that it was a misunderstanding on the Georgian's part and there were no requests from his opponent.
Dvalishvili blasted the Dagestani on his social media account ahead of their UFC 311 bantamweight title clash and accused him of being the reason he wasn't allowed to enter the PI. 'The Machine' added that he was unable to train like he planned on doing and implied that Nurmagomedov and his team didn't want him there, which forced him to change his plans.
During his latest appearance on Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson's JAXXON PODCAST, UFC Hall of Famer Forrest Griffin clarified that the reigning bantamweight champion was denied entry like he claimed. Griffin mentioned that Dvalishvili was permitted to enter, but just couldn't train where Nurmagomedov was because of a policy they have in place at the PI:
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"[Dvalishvili] can't use the mats when the mats are booked. That's all. Not lock the door, like, you can come in here to do strength and conditioning, you can go in the recovery room, you can eat your meals, you can do all kinds of stuff. But you can't go up on the mat when the guy you're gonna fight is up and on the mats. Basically, it's a first come first serve. If you book an area or a service, we will not let your competitor have it during the time you have it booked."
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Check out Forrest Griffin's comments regarding Merab Dvalishvili below:
Merab Dvalishvili claimed the UFC were protecting Umar Nurmagomedov
Merab Dvalishvili wasn't too pleased during the fiasco at the UFC PI ahead of his bantamweight title fight against Umar Nurmagomedov and claimed that the promotion was protecting the Dagestani.
Dvalishvili had posted a video to his X account voicing his displeasure with the situation and mentioned that he was denied entry into the UFC PI:
"I'm here at UFC PI 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 gonna smash before the fight...I'm not able to go in UFC PI cause I was supposed to get treatment for my injuries...eat lunch with my friends."
Check out the full video featuring Merab Dvalishvili's comments below:
