“Didn’t fight anyone from top 15,” Merab Dvalishvili dislikes Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov; mocks previous opponents of ‘Young Eagle’

Umar Nurmagomedov is one of the most prominent names in the UFC Bantamweight division.

“Didn’t fight anyone from top 15,” Merab Dvalishvili dislikes Cory Sandhagen vs. Umar Nurmagomedov; mocks previous opponents of ‘Young Eagle’

Merab Dvalishvili on Umar Nurmagomedov ( Image via Imago )

Umar Nurmagomedov is potentially going to fight Cory Sandhagen next. But top contender Merab Dvalishvili is not happy with this matchup. Here is what happened:

Merab Dvalishvili does not believe Umar Nurmagomedov deserves to fight Cory Sandhagen. He raised the issue in a recent interview with The Schmo.

YouTube video

Dvalishvili said:

FS Video
Why Umar fighting Sandhagen? Why he's not fighting Bautista or somebody else? You know what I'm saying? Umar, he don't fight nobody from top 15. He don't fight nobody from top five. Sandhagen, he's been in top 10 long time. Umar is good, but he has to fight somebody. You know what I'm saying? Like, nobody give me this chance after fighting nobody; fight for the number-three guy.
Dvalishvili said via Championship rounds

Merab Dvalishvili questioned whether Umar Nurmagomedov should fight Cory Sandhagen next. Dvalishvili believes that Nurmagomedov should face someone in the top ten before fighting someone in the top three of the bantamweight division. Dvalishvili also said that nobody gave him this chance after fighting a nobody.

Cory Sandhagen however has accepted the fight against Nurmagomedov. But on the condition that he gets a guaranteed title shot if he wins. Additionally, it looks like Dvalishvili may be in line for the next title fight. Dvalishvili has expressed that he would prefer to fight Sandhagen once he is available.

Who has Umar Nurmagomedov fought in the UFC?

Umar Nurmagomedov’s current UFC record is 5-0. His UFC winning streak in the bantamweight division is tied for the fourth-longest active streak in the division.

Umar Nurmagomedov and Khabib Nurmagomedov
Umar Nurmagomedov and Khabib Nurmagomedov (Via Talksport)

Umar made his debut in 2021 where he fought Sergei Morozov. Umar beat Morozov with a rear naked choke in the second round. He then pulled off another rear naked choke against Brian Kelleher, this time in the first round. He then went on to fight Nate Maness, and Raoni Barcelos and recently beat Bekzat Almakhan via unanimous decision.

Nurmagomedov’s undefeated streak has positioned him as a rising star in the bantamweight division. This has drawn a lot of attention towards him from fans and experts alike. It will be interesting to see how Nurmagomedov performs in his upcoming fights against top contenders in the division.

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