Umar Nurmagomedov thinks Merab Dvalishvili is in search of some simple paydays.
Later this month, Nurmagomedov challenges Dvalishvili for the bantamweight title within the co-main occasion of UFC 311, and although the buildup to their struggle has been quick, it’s been fairly heated. Initially, Dvalishvili no-sold Nurmagomedov as a title challenger, as an alternative calling for rematches with previous opponents he’s already crushed, Sean O’Malley and Petr Yan. Then, on the preliminary press convention for UFC 311, Dvalishvili was close to apoplectic with rage, screaming at Nurmagomedov and repeatedly calling him “a chunk of shit” regardless of Nurmagomedov remaining fairly even-tempered.
Contemplating all this, some followers imagine that Dvalishvili was ducking Nurmagomedov and is afraid to face him, however the undefeated title challenger disagrees.
“I feel he simply desires to struggle with a man who [he] can beat,” Nurmagomedov mentioned on the UFC’s YouTube channel. “It doesn’t imply I one hundred pc go contained in the cage and smash him. No. He is aware of, different guys, he’ll beat [them]. Me? It’s going to be arduous. That’s why he tried to be champion a very long time. He desires to struggle with O’Malley or with Petr Yan or another person as a result of he is aware of these guys, simple cash. Me? Not.
“For me, he has to go deep waters. For me, it’s going to be a protracted night time. I cannot give him takedowns; he won’t management me. I’ve good abilities, hanging abilities, and I could make for him quite a lot of issues. That’s why. However after we go contained in the cage, I cannot assume he’s fearful of me. I’ll know it is a man who will attempt to beat me. I’m a person who will attempt to smash him, and it’s going to be a battle.
“What I do know, what I perceive, he doesn’t [want a] dangerous struggle. He can beat me; it might probably occur. It’s not going to interrupt me. I would be the similar Umar. Combating is combating. Everyone can lose, all people can win. We’re not speaking about what’s going to occur within the struggle. If we’re speaking about scared, I feel he simply desires to take [less] threat.”
There actually is threat for Dvalishvili. Oddsmakers presently have Nurmagomedov put in as a virtually 3 to 1 favourite over the present champion. That’s a tricky check for Dvalishvili, and whereas he did caveat that something can occur in a struggle, Nurmagomedov believes it’s really even worse for the bantamweight champion.
“He won’t [beat me],” Nurmagomedov mentioned. “I can’t think about how he’ll beat me. He can’t maintain me. OK, perhaps he’ll take me down one time, however he has to carry me there. He can’t. He has to punch. It’s not going to be how he did all the time. I’m not the one who will go loopy.
“However I can wrestle, too. Don’t overlook about it. However I can end. If he provides me his again, I’m going to choke you. Watch out.”
UFC 311 takes place on Jan. 18 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., and might be headlined by a light-weight title struggle between Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan.
