“This is number one bullsh*t!” Merab Dvalishvili borrows Khabib Nurmagomedov’s punchline to explain situation with Sean O’Malley title fight

Merab Dvalishvili quoted Khabib Nurmagomedov over perceived injustice in the bantamweight division. Merab is worthy of a title shot due to his impressive winning streak.

“This is number one bullsh*t!” Merab Dvalishvili borrows Khabib Nurmagomedov’s punchline to explain situation with Sean O’Malley title fight

Khabib Nurmagomedov; Marlon Vera and Merab Dvalishvili (Source: IMAGO)

Sean O’Malley captured the bantamweight crown at UFC 292. O’Malley has shifted his focus on Marlon “Chito” Vera after his knockout finish of Aljamain Sterling at UFC 292. However, Merab Dvalishvili objected to such a matchmaking.

“This is number one bullsh*t!” said Merab Dvalishvili in a YouTube video, mimicking Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s famed sentiment. Merab explained that he defeated Jose Aldo, who, in turn, had defeated Vera. Hence, Vera should not be in contention for the title fight. “After Aljamain Sterling, I am the No. 1 contender. We all know that,” Dvalishvili said to MMA Junkie. “I have a nine-fight winning streak, and I beat two former champions back to back. I fought everybody who they put in front of me…”.

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Dvalishvili’s assertions do have some ground. With his teammate Sterling as the champion, he did not pursue the title shot. But now, as it stands, Dvalishvili has not lost since 2018. Since then, he has had consecutive wins against Jose Aldo, Marlon Moraes, John Dodson, Brad Katona, and Petr Yan. Merab has a legitimate shot at the title. However, it depends on what the UFC wants. They could book a fight between O’Malley and Vera as it has a storyline.

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The Georgian fighter had already sacrificed a shot at the title when his close friend, Aljamanin Sterling, reigned as the champion. Unsurprisingly, in a display of loyalty, Dvalishvili is willing to forego another year to allow Sterling to get his rematch against O’Malley. Friendship comes first for Merab; he wants Sterling to get his rematch.

Related: “The media goes cr*zy!” – Facing Dana White’s wrath for valuing friendship, Merab Dvalishvili exposes UFC superstar Sean O’Malley for ducking him since 2018

Is there a case for a Marlon Vera title shot against Sean O’Malley ahead of Merab Dvalishvili?

What do you do when somebody has a pattern of ducking you? According to Merab Dvalishvili, you steal their jacket while they go on for a fight. That is precisely what happened ringside at UFC 292. While his partner and close friend Aljamain Sterling faced O’Malley head-on, Dvalishvili stole his jacket.

Merab Dvalishvili
Merab Dvalishvili (Source: Twitter)

As of late, both Sterling and Dvalishvili have had issues with O’Malley not choosing to contend out his first bantamweight title defense against them. Merab found it baffling that O’Malley wanted a rematch with Vera for his first title defense. From Merab’s point of view, Vera only has a one-fight winning streak. Vera defeated Pedro Munhoz at UFC 292. Pedro Munhoz had a 2-2-1 record before facing Vera. Hence, Vera is not worthy of a title shot when Merab has a nine-fight winning streak.

For a while now, Merab Dvalishvili has been sidelined with a hand injury. He might not fight again in 2023. He hopes the UFC would make the right decision to give him or Sterling the next title shot. However, the UFC is a business and has given title shots to unworthy contenders.

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