Dvalishvili says Russian flag in Octagon upset him, not Makhachev's UFC 330 win

Merab Dvalishvili has moved to defuse a brewing feud with Islam Makhachev, insisting his reaction to the lightweight champion’s UFC 330 title defence against Ian Garry was rooted in politics, not personal animosity.

Makhachev had appeared to suggest Dvalishvili was unhappy with his success after retaining his belt at UFC 330. Dvalishvili pushed back on that reading in a post on X, explaining that the sight of Makhachev’s team carrying a Russian flag into the Octagon was what triggered his response.

“I like Islam Makhachev,” Dvalishvili wrote. “I think he’s a great and humble champion. I respect all the hard work he has put into his career, I have nothing but respect for him. But when I saw his team bring the Russian flag into the Octagon, I was upset.”

The former UFC bantamweight champion, who is Georgian-American, offered two reasons for his reaction. He noted that across his five UFC title fights he was never permitted to bring a Georgian or American flag into the cage himself. More significantly, he pointed to Georgia’s political relationship with Russia as the deeper source of his feelings.

“This is very personal because of what Russian politics and the Russian government have done to my country,” Dvalishvili wrote. “Russia occupies around 20% of Georgia, and there has been a history of war, occupation, and suffering against my Georgian people. Russia has also been responsible for terrible violence in Chechnya, and they are still killing people in Ukraine today.”

Dvalishvili was careful to separate the Russian government from ordinary Russian citizens. “I don’t hate Russian people. I hate Russian politics and the Russian government. My problem is with the government and its actions, not with ordinary Russian people.”

He also accused Russian media of misrepresenting his comments. “The Russian media is always asking me provocative questions, but they will never translate this video honestly or show what I’m actually saying, because it doesn’t fit the narrative they want to create,” he said. “There is no freedom of speech and if you protest anything in Russia you go to jail. This is facts.”

The statement arrives against a backdrop of rising tension between Dvalishvili and the broader Dagestani camp. Umar Nurmagomedov has claimed the rivalry between the two sides has become personal, suggesting the friction extends well beyond any single flag or social media post.