Islam Makhachev shares advice for Merab Dvalishvili after 'The Machine' makes "jacuzzi" joke amid tense exchange with Umar Nurmagomedov
The UFC recently announced that Merab Dvalishvili will be defending his bantamweight title against Umar Nurmagomedov in the co-main event of UFC 311 next year. Islam Makhachev will headline the card, running it back against Arman Tsarukyan, and all four fighters featured at a recent presser in Las Vegas.
At the UFC 311 pre-fight presser, Dvalishvili proved once more that he is a menace on the microphone. During the event, a reporter asked Nurmagomedov about his best moment with his teammate, Makhachev. Before the unbeaten Russian could answer the question, he was interrupted by the current UFC bantamweight champion, who from the side started yelling, "Jacuzzi!"
The Georgian fighter was referencing the infamous bathtub picture with Khabib Nurmagomedov, Makhachev, and other Dagestani wrestlers that went viral online, as seen in UFC middleweight Paulo Costa's hilarious post below.
In response, 'Young Eagle' advised 'The Machine' to focus on the upcoming fight and asserted that he was not in the aforementioned photo. However, Dvalishvili's remark seemed to have slightly agitated Makhachev, who stated:
"Hey I want to say just one thing. Merab I don’t have nothing for you. Just respect. But don’t make the belt look bad… When you have some real contender just fight...”
Check out Islam Makhachev's message to Merab Dvalishvili:
Dana White reveals how Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov bout materialized
Merab Dvalishvili will fight Umar Nurmagomedov in the co-main event of UFC 311, scheduled for January 18, 2025, in Los Angeles. UFC CEO Dana White revealed that following fake accusations that the Georgian champion was avoiding a fight with the undefeated Nurmagomedov, he wanted to prove everyone wrong.
Dvalishvili apparently stormed into the promotional frontman’s office and told him to make the fight happen. White said:
"Merab came into the office late last night, told us that he is tired of listening to Umar disrespect him and wanted to make this fight happen as soon as possible. We called Umar, he was sleeping in Dagestan. He said, 'Hell yes, anywhere and anytime.'"