Merab Dvalishvili surprises and reveals support for José Aldo's rival: 'He is not Khabib's cousin'

Merab Dvalishvili with the belt on UFC 316 (Photo: Playback / Instagram)

In the midst of preparing to defend the bantamweight belt (up to 61,2 kg) for the third time against Cory Sandhagen, Merab Dvalishvili does not fail to observe the other clashes in the category. The Georgian even publicly declared his support for mario bautista, which measures forces with the former rival of the current champion, Umar Nurmagomedov No. UFC 321, October 25th.

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The statement was made in an interview with reporter Mike Bohn, from the North American website 'MMA Junkie' this Wednesday (17). In addition to expressing his preference for the North American, Dvalishvili also took a dig at the Russian, younger cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov.

"I hope Bautista beats Umar and I can fight Bautista next... He's more deserving, and Bautista's cousin's name isn't Khabib, which is why he needs a nine-fight winning streak to even get a title shot. Some people get a title shot after a six-fight winning streak by fighting nobodies, without ranked opponents," the champion stated.

Merab Dvalishvili is the bantamweight champion (up to 61,2 kg). Photo: Reproduction X/UFC News

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Merab and Umar are rivals in the UFC

Merab Dvalishvili defended the belt for the first time against Umar Nurmagomedov. Photo: Reproduction X/UFC News

Eighth in the category ranking, Bautista is on a streak of eight victories in the Ultimate and among so many triumphs, he overcame José Aldo in Salt Lake City during the UFC 307 by split decision. At the time, he was harshly criticized by many fans after spending much of the fight controlling the Brazilian against the fence.

Nurmagomedov was undefeated as a professional until the beginning of this year, when he was defeated by Dvalishvili in the co-main event of UFC 311, in January of this year. In addition to the setback, he also fractured his hand during the fight and required surgery. This will be the Russian's return to the Octagon.

Merab is ducking Umar Clown fans got clown tonight pic.twitter.com/Yluf7LuAIs

—Left Hook MMA (@lefthook25) January 19, 2025