UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili says the fan who bought into an altercation with him within the crowd at UFC 310 would possibly’ve been a plant by Umar Nurmagomedov.
Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov have turned from cordial opponents to heated rivals in only a few months. After Dvalishvili earned the belt by defeating Sean O’Malley at UFC 306, Dvalishvili dismissed Nurmagomedov’s case for a title shot, earlier than finally the UFC booked the pair for the UFC 311 co-main occasion subsequent month.
Forward of their January grudge match, Nurmagomedov and Dvalishvili practically bought their battle began early whereas in Las Vegas for his or her UFC 311 press convention. The 2 elite bantamweights bought right into a heated verbal altercation that nearly turned physical backstage, and tensions didn’t disperse as soon as the press convention started.
After Dvalishvili’s teammate, Aljamain Sterling suffered a loss to Movsar Evloev at UFC 310, a member of the group was seen trash-talking and insulting Dvalishvili as they walked out of the sector. Dvalishvili tried to begin an all-out brawl earlier than safety personnel intervened, though one in all his teammates threw a punch on the fan.
It seems that the fan is a pal of Nurmagomedov and plenty of different high Dagestani fighters.
Merab Dvalishvili speaks after viral altercation within the crowd at UFC 310
Taking to X on Sunday, Dvalishvili shared his model of occasions as he and Sterling departed T-Cell Enviornment.
“Extra lies, disrespect, and deliberate provocations from Umar’s group,” Dvalishvili alleged. “Right here’s the actual story…”, adopted by a video clip detailing his account.
As of this writing, Nurmagomedov and his group haven’t addressed the incident with Dvalishvili at UFC 310. UFC CEO Dana White addressed the skirmish throughout his post-fight press convention, coining Dvalishvili a ‘Mini Sean Strickland without the mouth’.
Fortunately, cooler heads ultimately prevailed, however that got here after a number of punches have been thrown between Dvalishvili, his teammate, and the Nurmagomedov ally. The incident may come beneath investigation by the Nevada State Athletic Fee, which handed Arman Tsarukyan a suspension after assaulting a fan throughout his UFC 300 walkout.
It’s unsure if Dvalishvili’s altercation will influence his standing for UFC 311, however as of this writing, the battle stays intact.
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Merab Dvalishvili faces potential suspension Arman Tsarukyan served after UFC 300
Earlier than incomes the title at UFC 306, Dvalishvili defeated the likes of former UFC champions Petr Yan, José Aldo, and Henry Cejudo. He hasn’t misplaced since a controversial defeat to Ricky Simón in 2018.
Tensions started to ramp up between Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov virtually instantly after Dvalishvili’s title win. Issues reached a hostile stage when Dvalishvili appeared to offer a title shot to Yan, and never Nurmagomedov, after Yan’s important occasion victory at UFC Macau.
Dvalishvili dominated Yan of their matchup final 12 months by unanimous determination, making an attempt a UFC document 49 takedowns. Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov are thought of two of the perfect wrestlers within the UFC at this time.
There stays no love between Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov forward of their UFC 311 conflict, and Dvalishvili’s UFC 310 skirmish with one in all Nurmagomedov’s buddies may not be the top of their pre-fight controversies. Anticipate issues to accentuate as battle night time attracts close to in Los Angeles.
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