TLDR
- Umar Nurmagomedov says his rivalry with Merab Dvalishvili has become personal following a backstage incident in Georgia
- Dvalishvili slapped Nurmagomedov’s friend Ahmed Gadzhimagomedov at a Real American Freestyle event in July, sparking a brawl
- Nurmagomedov faces Song Yadong at UFC Shanghai on Saturday and wants to fight Dvalishvili next regardless of title status
- Dvalishvili handed Nurmagomedov his first career loss at UFC 311 in January 2025 via unanimous decision
- Dvalishvili will fight Petr Yan in their trilogy bout for the bantamweight title at UFC 333 on October 24 in Abu Dhabi
Sources: mmajunkie.usatoday.com | mmasucka.com | sherdog.com
Umar Nurmagomedov says his rivalry with Merab Dvalishvili has become personal following a backstage altercation at a recent wrestling event in Georgia. The feud between the two bantamweight fighters has escalated beyond their first fight, which Dvalishvili won by decision at UFC 311 in January 2025.
Nurmagomedov will face Song Yadong in the main event at UFC Shanghai on Saturday. He plans to fight Dvalishvili next regardless of whether the Georgian wins or loses his upcoming title fight.
“First of all, of course I have to win this fight,” Nurmagomedov told MMA Junkie. “Then any ways I will fight with Merab, if he will win or if he will lose, I think we’re going to fight.”
Dvalishvili handed Nurmagomedov the first loss of his professional career nearly two years ago in Los Angeles. The 30-year-old Nurmagomedov has won two straight fights since then and wants to avenge that defeat.
Backstage Incident Fuels Personal Animosity
The tension between the two camps reached a new level at a Real American Freestyle event in Georgia in July. Dvalishvili competed in a wrestling match against Henry Cejudo at the event, then declined to face Nurmagomedov in a wrestling bout.
Umar Nurmagomedov predicts Petr Yan will beat Merab Dvalishvili in their trilogy
He believes the UFC would then book Petr Yan vs Sean O'Malley, while setting up a rematch between Umar and Merab 👀
"I'm expecting Petr gonna beat him again, and maybe they will try to do rematch… pic.twitter.com/xNebWBJyN7
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) August 25, 2026
Nurmagomedov’s friend, Ahmed Gadzhimagomedov, confronted Dvalishvili backstage about his comments. Dvalishvili responded by slapping Gadzhimagomedov, which led to a brawl between the two teams.
“Is it personal? I think yes,” Nurmagomedov said. “Already yes. Now it’s personal. Now it’s personal not just for me. It’s personal for all of Dagestan.”
Dvalishvili defended his actions in an interview with Ariel Helwani. He said Gadzhimagomedov grabbed him by the neck and yelled at him in Russian while he was relaxing backstage.
“I was super relaxed, super chilled and then somebody came and grabbed my neck and pulled me over and started yelling at me in Russian language, which I hardly understand,” Dvalishvili said. “Who is this guy to tell me what to talk about him? It’s between me and Umar.”
The former champion said Gadzhimagomedov had no right to interfere in his feud with Nurmagomedov. Dvalishvili also criticized Nurmagomedov’s manager Rizvan Magomedov for allegedly insulting him on social media.
“The only guy who I don’t like from Dagestan is Umar and his sneaky manager, Rizvan,” Dvalishvili said. “I have so much respect for all Dagestani people, especially fighters.”
Both Fighters Face Critical Tests
Song Yadong called his upcoming fight with Nurmagomedov “easy” during UFC promotional interviews. He said he doesn’t believe the Dagestani fighter is as fast as Sean O’Malley.
Nurmagomedov warned Song that he is making a mistake by underestimating him. “He’s making a big mistake. It’s gonna be very hard for him,” Nurmagomedov said. “It’s not gonna be easy fight, trust me.”
The 30-year-old Dagestani fighter said he plans to knock out Song this weekend. He has a record of 20-1 in mixed martial arts with eight UFC victories.
Dvalishvili will fight Petr Yan in their trilogy bout at UFC 333 on October 24 in Abu Dhabi. Yan won their most recent meeting in December to claim the bantamweight title.
Nurmagomedov has already predicted that Yan will defeat Dvalishvili again at UFC 333. However, he says he wants to fight “The Machine” whether he has the belt or not.
Dvalishvili has a record of 21-3 overall with 14 UFC wins. Despite his intense rivalry with Nurmagomedov, he picked the Dagestani to defeat Song Yadong this weekend in Shanghai.
