Khabib Nurmagomedov Believes Brass ‘Made’ Merab Dvalishvili Fight Umar at UFC 311

"They pressured him," Khabib says Merab Dvalishvili didn't want to fight Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311.

Craig Kidwell-Imagn Images

UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili went back to work a little quicker than anybody anticipated, returning from a title win in September to a title defense against Umar Nurmagomedov this Saturday at UFC 311 - and Umar's cousin Khabib believes he knows why.

Dvalishvili had planned on fighting in March or April in a rematch against former champs Sean O'Malley or Petr Yan, but after a war of words with Nurmagomedov, the current champion decided to make a four-month turnaround - not much longer than what his teammate Aljamain Sterling did for his two title fights in 2023.

UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Merab Dvalishvili Says Aljamain Sterling Questioned His UFC 311 Turnaround

Khabib Believes UFC 'Pressured' Dvalishvili Into Fighting Cousin

In the opposing corner, Khabib Nurmagomedov says Dvalishvili had no desire to fight the undefeated Umar and believes the reigning champion wasn't left with much of a choice.

"On Jan. 18, we’re going into the cage and we have to take that belt," Khabib told Gorilla Energy. "We’re gonna show that Umar is the best. The difficulty was only because Merab didn’t want to fight. I believe that the UFC made Merab fight and they pressured him and made him fight him."

UFC's Umar Nurmagomedov. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

"The UFC needed a co-main event fight. That’s my personal opinion. Umar after [beating Cory] Sandhagen was targeting the belt."

Khabib believes the UFC forced Merab to fight Umar 😬

“I believe that the UFC made Merab fight and they pressured him… the UFC needed a co-main event.”

🎥 @gorillaenergy #UFC311 #UFC #MMApic.twitter.com/6hgbApfEXE

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) January 17, 2025

If UFC 311 had gone on without the bantamweight title fight between Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov, we likely would have seen Jiri Prochazka vs. Jamahal Hill in the co-headliner, which doesn't hold the same level of intrigue with the former champions coming off losses.

Umar Nurmagomedov's record stands at a perfect 18-0, looking to join his cousin Khabib and longtime teammate and friend Islam Makhachev as a UFC Champion.

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