There’s nothing quite like encouragement from one of the UFC’s top pound-for-pound champions to ignite a competitor’s passion.
UFC featherweight champion Ilia Topuria is confident that fellow Georgian champion Merab Dvalishvili will come out on top at UFC 311.
Dvalishvili is set to face Dagestani phenom Umar Nurmagomedov in the co-main event of UFC 311. The two bantamweights hail from opposite sides of the Caucasus mountains. This hasn’t stopped Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov from trading barbs.
Ilia Topuria tells Merab Dvalishvili he’s going to ‘eat’ Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311
In a video shared by Georgian Fight Night on Instagram, Dvalishvili talks with Topuria on the phone. ‘El Matador’ gives ‘The Machine’ his full support in his upcoming fight with Nurmagomedov.
“Are you ready? You will eat him,” Topuria said. “You are going to eat him. I swear I was watching his fights, you are so different. You will eat him! Just go in there with the same mentality like you always do.”
Topuria referenced Dvalishvili’s impressive takedown stat. He possesses the most takedowns in the bantamweight division with 85. The all-time leader for takedowns in the UFC is Georges St-Pierre with 90.
“. . . You are a record holder for takedowns in your division, you’re throwing your opponents in the air. Once you get the opportunity, grab him and throw him in the air and teach him how to wrestle. He doesn’t know anything, he’s nothing like you.
“You are the king, he doesn’t have any experience. . . . I will call you again to congratulate you!”
-Since Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan fell through, Dvalishvili vs. Nurmagomedov is one of the highest-level fights for the foreseeable future. However, Topuria’s words ring true: there is a significant disparity in experience between the two fighters.
Ilia Topuria is correct about Umar Nurmagomedov’s experience
Nurmagomedov earned a shot at the title by defeating Cory Sandhagen in a closely contested affair in August 2024. Before this, he didn’t have a single win against ranked opposition.
In fact, before fighting then-No. 3 Sandhagen, Nurmagomedov fought UFC debutant Bekzat Almakhan, suffering a knockdown in the process.
On the flip side, Dvalishvili faced a killer’s row of competition before dethroning Sean O’Malley at UFC 306. Dvalishvili’s 11-fight winning streak contained wins over four current or former champions in a row: Jose Aldo, Petr Yan, Henry Cejudo, and O’Malley.
None of these wins were even remotely competitive for Dvalishvili, who has steamrolled his opponents since suffering back-to-back losses in his UFC debut.
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