Sorry Umar, Merab Dvalishvili calls out new fighter for UFC 313

Blaine Henry

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Publish Date: 11/23/2024

Merab Dvalishvili has made it clear who he wants for a title defense next.

The newly crowned bantamweight champion, Dvalishvili stated in the eve of his king making that he wasn’t completely confident that Umar Nurmagomedov would be the next defense.

He pointed to Figueiredo being the next option if he defeated Petr Yan in the main event of UFC Macau. Figueiredo also said that he’d be happy with an opportunity himself. With Petr Yan defeating the former flyweight champion this morning, the shape of the division is different and evolving.

Petr Yan Octagon Interview | UFC Macau

Will Merab Dvalishvili fight Umar Nurmagomedov next?

While the Russian is the number two fighter in the UFC’s bantamweight rankings, it seems likely that Merab Dvalishvili doesn't fight Umar Nurmagomedov next.

On social media today, Dvalishvili said he has other things in mind in his own unique way.

“No one can take this belt away from me. And still!” The caption on the post reads, “LFG @petr_yan - March 8th #UFC313 T Mobile , Las Vegas.”

With Petr Yan defeating Dvalishvili’s number one choice at UFC Macau, it seems that “The Machine” has chosen Petr Yan to defend against in March.

With Ramadan approaching, Nurmagomedov will likely not be available to prepare for Dvalishvili’s desired March 8th fight date. Instead, Merab Dvalishvili could be rematching Petr Yan next.

Running it back

Of course, a bout between Merab Dvalishvili and Petr Yan would be a rematch. The first fight saw Dvalishvili run through Yan and drown him in pace for five rounds. Yan was unable to get any meaningful offense off for the entirety of the five round main event.

Things have changed since that fight. Dvalishvili went on to beat Henry Cejudo and Sean O’Malley to win the bantamweight title. Yan, too, has fared well since that loss. He’s beat Yadong Song and now Figueiredo via unanimous decision, looking great in both.

Yan is coming off of an eight month layoff due to a shoulder surgery. Dvalishvili is looking to snub Umar Nurmagomedov in the wake of UFC Macau. Nurmagomedov, who is the cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov, beat Cory Sandhagen in August. Dvalishvili made it clear in that time that Nurmagomedov was not guaranteed next.