[autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] you think this is unfair [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] manages to jump in the UFC rankings with the strength of a victory.
Before Nurmagomedov defeated Cory Sandhagen in Saturday’s UFC on ABC 7 headliner, Dvalishvili (17-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) expressed his frustration with Nurmagomedov’s rapid rise. Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) went from fighting unranked Raoni Barcelos to newcomer Bekzat Almakhan and second-ranked Sandhagen (17-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC).
“He has pressure because we all know why,” Dvalishvili said in an interview with “Heavy MMA.” “He’s Khabib’s cousin. He’s a good fighter. I have all the respect for him.”
Nurmagomedov said he had a title shot guaranteed with a win over Sandhagen. On the contrary, Dvalishvili had to rack up a 10-fight winning streak – including victories over former champions José Aldo, Petr Yan and Henry Cejudo – before getting his shot at gold.
“It breaks my heart when sometimes you see that you work hard,” Dvalishvili said. “I wasn’t sure I would get a title fight until two weeks ago. After beating José Aldo, I should fight for the belt. After beating Petr Yan, I should fight for the belt. Beat Henry Cejudo, I wasn’t sure…
(Nurmagomedov) is a good fighter, but he was pushed. It’s like cheating a little to get here. I have 12 fights in the UFC. I beat seven or eight ranked fighters.”
Dvalishvili will finally get his chance when he challenges bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) in the main event of UFC 306 on September 14 at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
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For more information on the card, visit the MMA Junkie events hub to UFC on ABC 7.
This article was originally published on MMA Junkie: Umar Nurmagomedov getting push from UFC leaves Merab Dvalishvili a little ‘heartbroken’
