Undefeated Contender Calls For Title Shot Against Merab Dvalishvili

UFC bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov has his sights set on winning a world title.

After Merab Dvalishvili's dominant unanimous decision win against Sean O'Malley Saturday night in the main event of UFC 306 at MSG Sphere in Las Vegas, Nev., Nurmagomedov, who was in attendance, called his shot in a now-viral video on 'X.'

Umar Nurmagomedov is ready to fight for the belt 👀

"I think I'm next, I hope they will not avoid and run. They have to be true champion and don't choose opponents. See you soon guys."

🎥 YT / @ufc #NocheUFC #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/L0BwSe6ykL
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 15, 2024

"I think I'm next," Nurmagomedov said. "I hope they will not avoid and run. They have to be true [champions] and don't choose opponents. See you soon, guys."

Nurmagomedov is riding a perfect 6-0 Octagon mark, most recently defeating Cory Sandhagen in Abu Dhabi in last month to put him in line for a potential title shot.

Dvalishvili, fresh off of winning the belt, is not a fan of this idea. At the UFC 306 post-fight presser, he clarified his intentions regarding who he wants his first defense to come against.

UFC 306 Results & Highlights – Sean O’Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili

Merab Dvalishvili Calls Out Umar Nurmagomedov

"He's okay," Dvalishvili said when asked about Nurmagomedov. "I'm telling you guys – from [the] top-15, he only [won] one fight, and that was Cory Sandhagen, so. We all [saw] what Aljamain Sterling did against Cory Sandhagen – make him sleep, you know. I mean, I respect Cory Sandhagen."

Merab Dvalishvili remains adamant that Deiveson Figueiredo should get the next title shot, and says Umar Nurmagomedov should fight Petr Yan next 😬

🎥 @ufc #NocheUFC #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/QPLaNnhAAY
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 15, 2024

Dvalishvili said for now he would like to see Nurmagomedov fight Petr Yan in a No.1 contender fight while he fights former flyweight champion, Deiveson Figueiredo, next.

Dvalishvili became the second Georgian UFC champion in promotional history, joining Ilia Topuria who knocked out Alexander Volkanovski in February to win the featherweight belt.

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It remains to be seen where Dvalishvili goes from here, as he extended his winning streak to 11 and snapped a four-year unbeaten run for O'Malley. O'Malley is one of two former champions to successfully come off Dana White's Contender Series, along with ex-light heavyweight champion Jamahal Hill.

For now, the Dvalishvili era is officially underway.

Merab Dvalishvili Calls Out Umar Nurmagomedov

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