Merab Dvalishvili says Umar Nurmagomedov feud is over before Petr Yan trilogy

Dvalishvili made the claim while arranging a training session at Khabib Nurmagomedov's gym in Abu Dhabi, days before his bantamweight trilogy fight with Yan on Saturday.

By Combat Sports UK Staff · Published Thu 22 Oct, 19:23 UK · AI-assisted reporting

Merab Dvalishvili has said he no longer has an issue with Umar Nurmagomedov, ahead of his attempt to regain the bantamweight title against Petr Yan at UFC 333 on Saturday 24 October.

The Georgian's change of tone came as he sought to train at the Abu Dhabi gym of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Umar's older cousin. In episode three of the UFC 333 Embedded series on YouTube, Dvalishvili phoned his friend and teammate Aljamain Sterling to invite him along to a session that night.

Dvalishvili said: “I met Nina (Drama) in airport. She gave me a connection with Khabib’s gym. We can go train there. I would like to go there.” Sterling asked whether the plan was wise given the history between the pair: “Are you sure? Because of you and Umar.” Dvalishvili replied: “I’m good with Umar now. I don’t have any (issue).”

The rivalry dates back to January 2025, when Dvalishvili beat Nurmagomedov at UFC 311. The two have traded insults on social media and in interviews since. At the height of the animosity this summer, Nurmagomedov said he would rather beat Dvalishvili than win the title, and in the same period Dvalishvili slapped one of Nurmagomedov's friends at a Real American Freestyle press conference in Georgia.

Nurmagomedov's current view of Dvalishvili is not known, and the prospect of a rematch has faded. Nurmagomedov was knocked out by Song Yadong in Shanghai in August, and Dvalishvili expects to face Song next if he beats Yan in their trilogy fight.

In this story

Merab Dvalishvili Umar Nurmagomedov Petr Yan Aljamain Sterling Song Yadong