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Umar Nurmagomedov claimed "nobody will be surprised" if Merab Dvalishvili pulls out of the UFC 311 co-main event.
On Jan. 18, Dvalishvili will attempt to defend his UFC bantamweight world title for the first time. The Georgian grappler is scheduled to face arguably the most dangerous fighter in the division, undefeated Russian Umar Nurmagomedov.
Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov have established an intense rivalry heading into their upcoming fight. The added excitement for the matchup has fans, and even Nurmagomedov, worried about a hypothetical cancellation.
During an interview with ESPN MMA, Brett Okamoto asked Nurmagomedov about Dvalishvili potentially pulling out of the UFC 311 co-main event. The undefeated Russian bantamweight contender responded by saying:
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"I will not be surprised and nobody will be surprised. Even right now, I saw like commentary on Twitter, they said he will pull out, but he never pulled out before. I hope he will not and the fight is going to happen."
Watch Nurmagomedov's comments, starting at 4:55 below:
Umar Nurmagomedov warns Merab Dvalishvili to "be careful" in their upcoming fight
Umar Nurmagomedov and Merab Dvalishvili have each downplayed the other's skillset to a certain extent. During the previously mentioned interview, Brett Okamoto asked Nurmagomedov how Dvalishvili could beat him at UFC 311.
Nurmagomedov responded by shutting down the possibility:
"He will not [beat me]. I can't imagine how he would beat me. How? He can't hold me. Okay, maybe he will take me down one time, but if he has to hold me there. He can't. He has to punch. It's not going to be how he did always... I can wrestle too. Don't forget about it, but I can finish. If you give me your back, I'm going to choke you. Be careful." [7:35-8:08]
Heading into UFC 311, Merab Dvalishvili is coming off the biggest win of his fighting career, a title-claiming unanimous decision against Sean O'Malley in September.
Dvalishvili now looks to silence any doubters who believe Umar Nurmagomedov is the best fighter in the UFC bantamweight division.
Meanwhile, Nurmagomedov made a massive statement in his last Octagon appearance. The 28-year-old extended his professional MMA record to 18-0, six wins in the UFC, with a unanimous decision against Cory Sandhagen in August.
