Dvalishvili Singles Out Umar Nurmagomedov

Merab Dvalishvili has made his feelings toward Umar Nurmagomedov unmistakably clear during a recent lie detector test, according to LowKick MMA. Asked whether there was a fighter he genuinely could not stand, Dvalishvili answered that there was, calling the person a “little spoiled baby.” The source material identifies Nurmagomedov as the target of those remarks, adding another public chapter to a relationship it describes as strained. The comments arrive with both men still active in the bantamweight picture, but headed toward separate confirmed fights rather than an immediate second meeting.

The tension has a specific competitive backdrop. When Dvalishvili was bantamweight champion, he defended the title against Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 and won by unanimous decision. Nurmagomedov later said he broke his hand in the early minutes and therefore could not implement the game plan he wanted. Dvalishvili, meanwhile, had handed Nurmagomedov the first loss of his undefeated record. The Georgian has since declined to run the matchup back, maintaining that Nurmagomedov did not deserve the original title shot and received it because of the Nurmagomedov surname and his connection to Khabib Nurmagomedov. That history gives the lie detector exchange more weight than an isolated insult: it revisits a disagreement that has included their title fight, the circumstances surrounding it and the question of whether a rematch should happen.

UFC 311 remains central to the dispute

Dvalishvili’s remarks in the test did not name Nurmagomedov in the quoted answer supplied by LowKick MMA, but the report presents Nurmagomedov as the fighter being discussed. The report also says Dvalishvili was asked whether there was anyone in the UFC he never wanted to see again, following the question about a fighter he could not stand. In that setting, the comments were presented as an extension of his long-running issue with Nurmagomedov rather than a new challenge for a booked fight. Their UFC 311 meeting is the clearest confirmed reference point. Dvalishvili won the championship defense by unanimous decision, while Nurmagomedov’s post-fight explanation centered on a broken hand suffered early in the contest. The two accounts do not change the recorded result in the supplied material, but they show why each side has had a different view of what should follow. Nurmagomedov pointed to an injury that he said prevented him from carrying out his plan. Dvalishvili has taken the opposite position on the value of another meeting, saying Nurmagomedov should not have received the first title opportunity.

The report also places the personal hostility beyond the UFC 311 result. At RAF Georgia, Dvalishvili slapped one of Nurmagomedov’s friends, according to the supplied material. It says the friend wanted to confront Dvalishvili after he criticized Nurmagomedov during a press conference. The exchange escalated after the friend asked why Dvalishvili hated Umar, and Dvalishvili slapped him. That incident does not establish a new UFC matchup or disciplinary outcome in the source material. It does, however, provide confirmed context for why the lie detector answer is notable: the hostility described in the interview has also surfaced away from their official fight. For readers following the division, the important distinction is that the current news is a personal statement, while the next competitive steps named by the report involve other opponents.

Separate bouts set the immediate timeline

Dvalishvili is set to run it back with current and two-time bantamweight champion Petr Yan soon, according to LowKick MMA. The source says Yan dethroned Dvalishvili at UFC 323. It further states that Dvalishvili had been the most active champion in 2025 and that the UFC promised him an immediate title rematch. That is the confirmed route immediately ahead of Dvalishvili in the material, not a return bout with Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov also has a different assignment. The report says he will face Song Yadong next month. As a result, Dvalishvili’s comments do not come with a confirmed rematch announcement, date or booking against Nurmagomedov. Instead, the article’s timeline shows two fighters whose prior title-fight dispute remains public while their immediate schedules diverge. Dvalishvili is moving toward Yan and a championship rematch, while Nurmagomedov is preparing for Song. The available details support a narrow reading of the situation. Dvalishvili has voiced unusually direct dislike for Nurmagomedov and has resisted the idea that their first fight should be repeated. But the supplied material confirms no new agreement to fight each other, no official UFC response and no stated future action connecting the two. The significance is in the contrast between the sharp language and the separate bouts already identified.

• At UFC 311, Dvalishvili defended the bantamweight title against Nurmagomedov and won by unanimous decision; Nurmagomedov later said an early broken hand stopped him from implementing his intended game plan.
• The confirmed immediate assignments are different: Dvalishvili is due to rematch Petr Yan after Yan dethroned him at UFC 323, while Nurmagomedov is scheduled to fight Song Yadong next month.

Dvalishvili’s latest comments keep his conflict with Nurmagomedov in focus, but the verified competitive picture remains straightforward. Their UFC 311 fight and opposing views on a rematch explain the tension, while their next reported bouts point in different directions. Until the supplied material identifies a new booking between them, the lie detector remarks stand as a pointed personal message rather than confirmation of another Dvalishvili-Nurmagomedov fight.

Sources: LowKick MMA