“You are small-minded people”: Feud between Merab and Umar reaches a new level

Former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili responded sharply and uncompromisingly to criticism from Russian fighter Umar Nurmagomedov and those around him.

The Georgian athlete clarified the details of the confrontation and altercation with Russian wrestler Ahmed Gadjimagomedov at a RAF tournament press conference in Tbilisi.

“If you come with bad intentions, you will get what you deserve”

In a video message posted on social media, Dvalishvili explained his position and upbringing as follows:

“Umar and some small-minded people continue talking all kinds of nonsense about me. You probably know nothing about life, but I am a man. If you disrespect me and start speaking loudly in another language, I will slap you. That is who I am and how I was raised. This is my culture, and you deserve exactly that. It does not matter which country I am in—if you come with bad intentions, you will get exactly what you came for”, Dvalishvili said.

“What would happen if 50,000 young men took to the streets?”

The Georgian fighter stressed that he had defused the situation himself; otherwise, the consequences for the guests in Tbilisi could have been extremely serious and dangerous:

“After that incident, I realized once again that I was in Georgia. All the teenagers, young men and my friends in Tbilisi wanted to fight. There were 200 guests from different countries, while millions of people live in my country. You can imagine what would have happened if even 50,000 young men had taken to the streets. That is why I found the man who had started the altercation, shook hands with him and resolved everything peacefully. But you small-minded people should stop talking nonsense when you were not even there!”

The fighters’ upcoming bouts

Against the backdrop of their uncompromising statements, both men face highly important and demanding fights ahead:

• Merab Dvalishvili: On October 24 in Abu Dhabi, at UFC 333 he will enter the Octagon against Petr Yan in the final fight of their trilogy, seeking to reclaim the championship belt.

• Umar Nurmagomedov: On August 29 in Macau, at UFC Fight Night 286 he will face Song Yadong in the event’s main fight.

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