Fans are already placing their bets on Umar Nurmagomedov ahead of his showdown with Merab Dvalishvili– and they’ve got receipts to back it up. Recently, an Instagram page resurfaced footage of Merab’s loss in the 2019 Combat Sambo World Championships, and fans were quick to draw comparisons.
With Umar being a three-time Sambo world champ, many believe history will repeat itself when the two face off for the UFC bantamweight title.
Back in 2019, Merab Dvalishvili made an interesting detour in his fighting career. Despite being under contract with the UFC, he packed his bags and headed to South Korea to compete in a Combat Sambo tournament.
He had a solid run, making it all the way to the finals before finishing as the runner-up against Stepan Kobenov. This came right after he scored a win over SBG’s Brad Katona in the UFC. Once the Sambo event wrapped up, Merab jumped straight back into MMA to face Casey Kenney.
Needless to say, fans had a lot to say on this matter.
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One fan claimed this loss was why he didn’t like Umar and said, “That’s why he is so salty against Russians now IT all make sense”. Another fan commented about how Umar had already done what Merab couldn’t do and said, “Umar is world Sambo champ 3x”.
This fan provided a rather condensed highlight of Merab’s fight and joked, “Bro got ragdolled”. This fan, however, didn’t see a reason for the others to dig up old videos and said, “U don’t have to check old ones, he already got beaten 4 times in the ufc”.
Meanwhile, Umar has also joined fans in criticizing Merab and he has good reasons for it as well.
Umar slams Merab for chasing ‘easy money fights’
The ‘Young eagle’ isn’t buying into the idea that Merab is avoiding him out of fear – but he does think the champ is chasing easier fights. As they gear up for their UFC 311 bantamweight title clash, Umar feels the champ would rather stick to familiar opponents like Sean O’Malley or Petr Yan because he knows he can beat them.
Facing him? That’s a different story.
He believes their fight won’t be easy for Merab, predicting a long, grueling battle where he won’t let the champ control him like past opponents. He’s confident that while Dvalishvili might land a takedown, holding him down will be a different challenge altogether.
The odds seem to agree with Umar, making him a solid favorite, but he’s not taking anything lightly. Umar made it clear – if Dvalishvili slips up, he’ll seize the opportunity and finish him. This fight promises to be a tough one for both men.
