"Company man" Merab Dvalishvili ready to fight "whoever the UFC puts" in front of him
Newly-crowned UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili is riding in the clouds at the moment, fresh from his massive win over Sean O'Malley for the strap at Noche UFC 306. Last Saturday, 'The Machine' did what most couldn't do to 'Sugar', take out his rhythm and control him on the ground.
Just days after his massive win, the UFC's second-ever Georgian champion took to X, telling everyone that he is willing to defend his throne against anyone, regardless of ranking.
Dvalishvili tweeted:
"Guys- I hear all of you! I am a company man. Whoever the UFC puts in front of me , I will fight as I always do ,even if I don't think they deserve the next shot. Let's Go 🦾"
At the moment, the man who has a guaranteed shot at the belt is the undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov, cousin of Russian MMA legend Khabib Nurmagomedov. The Dagestani fighter bested Cory Sandhagen in a title eliminator in Abu Dhabi last month.
When Merab Dvalishvili said Umar Nurmagomedov doesn't deserve a shot at the belt, named a better alternative
Just two weeks ago, Merab Dvalishvili was singing a different tune about who deserves a crack at the belt next. In an interview with Mike Bohn with MMA Junkie on YouTube, 'The Machine' explained why he didn't believe 'Young Eagle' deserves to be next in line for a title shot, despite his no. 2 spot in the rankings. He also named another fighter who he thinks deserves it more.
Dvalishvili said (10:08):
"I think next title fight Deiveson Figueiredo deserves to fight for the belt. He beat one former champion in this weight class, one title challenger and he beat Rob Font. And Figueiredo is a former champion and he has a big name and he deserves it because Umar [Nurmagomedov], he only beat Cory Sandhagen from top-15. Only one guy he beat from top-15. Why does he deserve to fight for the belt?"
Former UFC flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo has been on a marvelous run at bantamweight ever since he moved up a weight class late last year. He beat divisional standout Rob Font via a unanimous decision, submitted former UFC bantamweight champ Cody Garbrandt, and picked up a win over former world title challenger Marlon Vera. He currently ranks no. 5 in the UFC bantamweight rankings.
Check out Merab Dvalishvili's interview here: