Merab Dvalishvili clears air on Islam Makhachev, Russian flag controversy

Merab Dvalishvili has clarified that he has no bad blood with Islam Makhachev despite what the latter believes.

The former Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight titleholder addressed recent comments from Makhachev after the welterweight champ appeared to accuse Dvalishvili of being unhappy with his success after he defended his title against Ian Garry at UFC 330.

Merab Dvalishvili explains what really upset him after Islam Makhachev’s UFC 330 win

Dvalishvili explained on social media that his frustration with Makhachev’s victory at UFC 330 was directed at the latter’s team bringing a Russian flag into the Octagon, rather than at the champion himself.

“I like Islam Makhachev,” Dvalishvili wrote on X. “I think he’s a great and humble champion. I respect all the hard work he has put into his career, I have nothing but respect for him. But when I saw his team bring the Russian flag into the Octagon, I was upset. And the reason I reacted that way is because, first during all five of my UFC title fights, I was never allowed to bring my Georgian or American flag into the cage.”

Dvalishvili further clarified that his problem is with Russian politics, rather than people from the country.

“Second reason for me, this is very personal because of what Russian politics and the Russian government have done to my country,” Dvalishvili added. “Russia occupies around 20% of Georgia, and there has been a history of war, occupation, and suffering against my Georgian people. Russia has also been responsible for terrible violence in Chechnya, and they are still killing people in Ukraine today. I also want to make one thing very clear: I don’t hate Russian people. I hate Russian politics and the Russian government. My problem is with the government and its actions, not with ordinary Russian people.”

Dvalishvili also accused Russian media of portraying his comments unfairly.

“The Russian media is always asking me provocative questions, but they will never translate this video honestly or show what I’m actually saying, because it doesn’t fit the narrative they want to create,” he concluded. “There is no freedom of speech and if you protest anything in Russia you go to jail. This is facts.”

This comes amid growing tension between Dvalishvili and the Dagestani team, with Umar Nurmagomedov claiming that their rivalry is personal.

This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com

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