A lot has been said between the current UFC bantamweight champion, Merab Dvalishvili & undefeated contender Umar Nurmagomedov. While the champ believes that the Russian is undeserving of a title shot, Umar recently corroborated that the matchmakers have assured him that he is the next in line for the title.
Dropping down to the Pound 4 Pound studio, Umar joined Kamaru Usman and Henry Cejudo this week where he was asked if Dana White or Hunter Campbell had given him their word about being the next in line, especially since Merab has been dismissing his title shot.
Confirming that, they had assured him of the next title opportunity, Umar reiterated his stance, essentially saying that he didn’t want to wait until next year. In fact, he wants to fight for the belt at the earliest.
“They say to me that I’m next but I don’t want to wait (for) these two guys until next year. I want to fight! Hey guys, I don’t care about you, I just need belt!”
Earlier, Merab was of the opinion that since Umar hadn’t faced any top 15 guys besides Cory Sandhagen, he should be fighting other guys in the division before making demands of the champion.
Besides, the Georgian has been adamant about facing Deiveson Figueiredo. That said, statements made earlier this week could mean he’s softened his position a bit.
In a tweet, Merab mentioned that he’s a “company man” and is more than willing to take on anyone the UFC wants him to fight.
Meanwhile, ‘The Sandman’ Cory Sandhagen has shared his skepticism about Umar, doubting the Russian’s ability against a wrecking ball like Merab.
Can Umar get the job done?
Now, both Umar Nurmagomedov & Merab Dvalishvili are elite grapplers with a solid background in wrestling. While that is the case, their styles are polar opposites with Umar focusing more on striking owing to his Muay Thai base whereas Merab’s forte is his pressure-style wrestling.
With that being said, can Umar stuff the Georgian’s takedowns? Well, Sandhagen has his doubts.
During a recent exclusive to Fanatics Views, Cory raised his concerns and pointed out the obvious, saying,
“Umar is a way better striker than Merab, but also so is Sean. I guess the only difference is, will Umar be able to stop the shots. I say that with a lot of caution because I know that Umar is a really phenomenal wrestler but at the same time, Merab is a different level of grappler than I think the division’s probably seen…I think that Merab is still going to have a bit of the grappling edge.”
While the American is convinced of Umar’s exceptional striking, he remains skeptical about Umar holding down Merab. With that being said, Cory is certain that the fight would go in Umar’s favor if he can keep the fight son the feet.
