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Umar Nurmagomedov suffered his first career defeat against Merab Dvalishvili. | Getty/UFC
Merab Dvalishvili’s coach, John Wood, believes Umar Nurmagomedov won’t fare well in a rematch against his pupil.
Dvalishvili defended his bantamweight title for the third time with a dominant unanimous decision win over Cory Sandhagen (18-6) in the co-main event at UFC 320 on Saturday. While Nurmagomedov has already lost to Davlishvili, he remains among the top title contenders at 135 pounds.
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However, Wood doesn’t think rematching Dvalishvili is a good idea for Nurmagomedov. Nurmagomedov suffered his lone career loss in a failed title bid against Dvalishvili this past January at UFC 311. Wood claims Dvalishvili had several injuries going into his initial clash against Nurmagomedov. Dvalishvili initially didn’t want to accept the fight, accusing Nurmagomedov of being favored because of his cousin, the legendary Khabib Nurmagomedov. This led to tensions between the two camps, which seemingly haven’t died down. Wood warned Nurmagomedov about an angry Dvalishvili, since the Georgian didn’t like his trash talk. Wood believes Dvalishvili would likely finish Nurmagomedov in a potential rematch.
Coach: You Don’t Want ‘Angry Merab on Your Ass’
“I think Merab finishes Umar, destroys Umar — it’s way worse for Umar,” Wood told Submission Radio. “That was the worst Merab that you’ve ever seen [in the Umar fight]. That was the most unhealthy, sick, injured Merab that you’ll ever see. Hand, back, rib, shins, staph infection, and he still went out there and handled it. And that’s one you don’t want to have angry Merab on your ass, and he’s not a huge fan of some of the stuff that they say. I think that goes in a much more violent fashion, and I think there would probably be a finish coming out of that fight.”
Before he can think about a championship rematch, Nurmagomedov will have to get past surging contender Mario Bautista at UFC 321 on Oct. 25 in Abu Dhabi.
Merab’s coach John Wood says Umar is about to face a whole new level of aggression 😳🔥
“I think Merab finishes Umar, destroys Umar — it’s way worse for Umar. That was the worst Merab that you’ve ever seen [in the Umar fight]. That was the most unhealthy, sick, injured Merab… pic.twitter.com/9JYOQeLGsM
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) October 6, 2025
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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