Nurmagomedov demands Dvalishvili rematch after rivalry turns personal off the mat

Umar Nurmagomedov has made clear he wants Merab Dvalishvili next, declaring the bantamweight rivalry personal after a feud that has escalated well beyond their January 2024 UFC title fight. Nurmagomedov faces Yadong Song at UFC Shanghai on Aug. 29, but says a rematch with Dvalishvili is his priority regardless of what happens at UFC 333.

Dvalishvili handed Nurmagomedov the first defeat of his professional career that night, winning by unanimous decision to claim the UFC bantamweight title. Since then, the bad blood between the two fighters has only deepened.

“First of all, of course I have to win this fight,” Nurmagomedov told MMA Junkie. “Then I will fight with Merab, if he will win or if he will lose, I think we’re going to fight.”

The tension reached a new level after Dvalishvili was involved in an altercation with Nurmagomedov’s friend Ahmed Gadzhimagomedov at a recent Real American Freestyle event in Georgia. When asked whether the rivalry had become personal, Nurmagomedov left no room for ambiguity.

“Is it personal? I think yes. Already yes. Now it’s personal. Now it’s personal not just for me. It’s personal for all of Dagestan.”

The friction between the two camps predates the physical confrontation. Before their first fight, Dvalishvili publicly questioned whether Nurmagomedov had legitimately earned his title shot, repeatedly suggesting that being the cousin of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov had worked in Umar’s favour. Those accusations have clearly lingered.

Dvalishvili is scheduled to defend his bantamweight title against Petr Yan at UFC 333, and Nurmagomedov has stated he intends to pursue the rematch whatever the outcome of that bout. With Song standing between him and that goal on Aug. 29 in Shanghai, the Dagestani contender will first need to rebuild his path back to the top of the division.