"[Dagestani fighters] usually don't fight during Ramadan" - Merab Dvalishvili shares timeline for upcoming UFC title defence against Umar Nurmagomedov

At Noche UFC 306, which went down on Sept. 14 at the Sphere in Las Vegas,Merab Dvalishvili defeated Sean O'Malley to become the new UFC bantamweight champion. On Sept. 30, 'The Machine' held a press conference in Tbilisi, Georgia where he answered several questions from the media.

As reported by an Georgian MMA journalist who goes by the moniker 'She Loves the Gloves,' the 33-year-old spoke about his return to the octagon in the press conference. Dvalishvili shared that although he had not been approached by the UFC, he expects his next outing to be against Umar Nurmagomedov.

Speaking about the potential timeline for the showdown, Dvalishvili shared that the two could possibly lock horns in February or March of 2025. He said:

"The UFC hasn't officially contacted me regarding my first title defense yet. A lot of people are starting to talk, everyone will be trying to get my attention. Umar will probably be the next one facing me for the title, as he seems to have a lot of support right now. [Dagestani fighters] don't usually fight during Ramadan, so it will most likely be before that. Maybe in the spring - February or March."

Merab Dvalishvili predicts outcome of potential fight with Umar Nurmagomedov

Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov have been going back-and-forth on social media lately. The latter, on multiple occasions, has accused the bantamweight champion of dodging a fight against him.

Dvalishvili has not taken kindly the Dagestani's words and took to social media, claiming that he would make light work of the 28-year-old. He wrote:

"I smacked Petr Yan's a** like a b****, I carried Henry Cejudo like a baby, I kissed Sean O'Malley like his daddy BUT I will simplay SMASH Umar if the UFC puts him in front of me next."

Check out Merab Dvalishvili's post below: