Umar Nurmagomedov insists that Merab Dvalishvili can't avoid facing as his next opponent: "I’m the next contender"

Umar Nurmagomedov recently opened up on the bantamweight title picture and insisted that he will be challenging Merab Dvalishvili next. The Dagestani is believed to be the next contender, especially considering he was shown on the Noche UFC 306 broadcast following the Georgian's title win.

'Young Eagle' has taken the bantamweight division by storm and most recently earned an impressive unanimous decision win over Cory Sandhagen.

Nurmagomedov trains under the tutelage of his cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov and boasts an unbeaten 18-0 professional record. However, Dvalishvili has been trading jibes with Sean O'Malley on social media, resulting in fans being under the impression that a rematch could happen instead.

Despite the social media exchanges between 'The Machine' and 'Sugar', 'Young Eagle' made it clear that he is the next in line for a title shot. The Dagestani poses an intriguing challenge for the champion as he could match his grappling and has showcased his striking ability. Nurmagomedov took to his X account and mentioned that there were no other options available for Dvalishvili and that they would meet inside the octagon:

"Merab [Dvalishvili] doesn't have any other options, his only choice is to fight with me. I'm the next contender to fight for the UFC bantamweight championship. InshaAllah"

Check out Umar Nurmagomedov's comments below:

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Umar Nurmagomedov blasts Merab Dvalishvili after back-and-forth exchange on X

In addition to insisting that he will be the next bantamweight title challenger, Umar Nurmagomedov put Merab Dvalishvili on blast and claimed that he ducked him in the past.

Nurmagomedov mentioned that Dvalishvili is trying to avoid fighting him and took credit for 'The Machine' earning his bantamweight title shot against Sean O'Malley:

"There is no if. There is only one contender and that is me. You became champion only because you did not accept a fight with me twice before for the same reason, there are no fighters from the top 10 in my list of fights. You and those like you did not accept a fight with me"

Check out Umar Nurmagomedov's tweet below: