LAS VEGAS – After a heated backstage altercation that required security intervention, the two participants in the UFC 311 co-main event were able to ease their tensions for their first official faceoff Friday.
At a news conference at MGM Grand Garden Arena, champion Merab Dvalishvili and rival Umar Nurmagomedov stole the show on the mic before they partook in a faceoff. The fight takes place Jan. 18 as the UFC 311 co-headliner at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.
The booking came as a surprise to many as Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC) and Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) seemed to be on different timelines for return. Additionally, Dvalishvili for weeks had indicated he wanted a rematch with Sean O’Malley or Petr Yan instead. However, the UFC got the booking done, as a compliment to the card’s main event of lightweight champion Islam Makhachev vs. challenger Arman Tsarukyan.
Check out Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov’s faceoff in the video above and check out a gallery of photos below.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.
