Merab Dvalishvili Claims He Was Denied Entry to UFC P.I. Due to Umar Nurmagomedov

It’s all good – this guy will get what is coming to him on January 18th. #ufc311 🦾🇬🇪🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/hC8YN6vkX9

— Merab “The Machine” Dvalishvili (@MerabDvalishvil) December 23, 2024

It might be the holiday season, but Merab Dvalishvili wasn’t feeling especially jolly after allegedly being denied entry into the UFC Performance Institute on Monday.

In a social media post, the reigning bantamweight champion claimed that security wouldn’t let him into the facility because UFC 311 opponent Umar Nurmagomedov was already inside the buildiing.

“I’m here out front of the UFC P.I., and security don’t let me go in because they said, ‘Umar Nurmagomedov is inside,’ and they are protecting him,” Dvalishvili said in a video. “Don’t worry, guys. I’m not going to smash him before the fight. But Jan. 18, different story. I’m not able to go in UFC P.I. because I was supposed to get treatment for my injury. I was supposed to sign some cards. I was supposed to eat lunch with my friends. What the heck? I’m going to smash this guy because of all the disrespect, all the lies he was saying.

“You better show up, Umar. Today, you’re protected. Don’t worry, I’m not going to punch you before the fight. But Jan. 18, no one will protect you.”

It’s unclear if Dvalishvili received access to the UFC P.I. later in day or if his session was rescheduled.

Tension has been building between Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov for several months now. Dvalishvili was not especially receptive toward making his first title defense against Nurmagomedov because he believed that the Dagestani was given preferential treatment by the promotion as the cousin of retired lightweight champ Khabib Nurmagomedov. More recently, “The Machine” claimed that his altercation with a fan at UFC 310 was part of a setup by Nurmagomedov and his team.

UFC 311 takes place on Jan. 18 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles and is headlined by a lightweight title tilt between Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan. Dvalishvili vs. Nurmagomedov is slated for the evening’s co-main event.

This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com

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