UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev has responded to Merab Dvalishvili’s claims, saying that Umar Nurmagomedov is not Russian. After his stunning win over Sean O’Malley at UFC Noche, Dvalishvili is most likely to face Umar Nurmagomedov next. However, before facing him, “The Machine” infuriated the MMA community by saying that Umar is not Russian. At the press conference after UFC 306, Dvalishvili said that Umar is Dagestani but not Russian.
This statement did not go down well with Islam Makhachev. Reacting to this statement, Makhachev said, “Merab lives in America. He has no clue what he is talking about. Dagestan is a part of Russia.” The lightweight champion also said that Dvalishvili was probably saying something to play mental games with Umar Nurmagomedov.
Dvalishvili completely dominated Suga
If we talk about Merab’s performance against Sean O’Malley, he was in complete control during the match. It was expected that Suga would pose a major threat with his striking, but the reality turned out to be quite the opposite. Throughout the match, “The Machine” dominated his opponent. He made 12 successful takedown attempts to completely take the match in his favor. Despite O’Malley landing some desperate body shots towards the end of the match, it was all in vain as the damage was not enough.
The Machine has new challenges waiting for him
During the match, Dvalishvili also had some funny moments when he mocked Suga. When a head kick attempt did not succeed, the Georgian fighter pointed to the sky to show that he could not see the kick connect. However, his antics at the end of the second round have become the talk of the town. When Merab trapped O’Malley against the fence, he kissed the back of Suga’s neck several times. Dvalishvili then let go of the chokehold and walked away from Suga. When asked why he did it, the Georgian said that he wanted to mock his opponent. He explained that the kisses were a sign that he dominated the entire fight. However, Dvalishvili also clarified that he doesn’t have anything against the former champion. While Sean O’Malley will go and analyze his defeat, the new Bantamweight champion has new challenges ahead of him.
Also Read: Alex Pereira reveals about his conversation with Jon Jones at Noche UFC 306
Umar Nurmagomedov is considered the next title contender as he is undefeated in the UFC so far and currently ranks #2 in the Bantamweight rankings. He was seen in the audience at UFC 306. It remains to be seen how things go forward between him and the new champion.
