LOS ANGELES – The tension between Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov continues to grow following Thursday’s UFC 311 pre-fight press conference staredown.
Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC) and Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) have had no love lost between each other since the bantamweight title fight was booked for Saturday’s co-main event at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., airing on ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPNews/Disney+ and ESPN+.
Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov kept their space at the #UFC311 press conference faceoff. pic.twitter.com/4oZBHb7KXJ
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) January 17, 2025
That remained the case throughout the press conference as the champion Dvalishvili and undefeated challenger Nurmagomedov expressed dislike for each other before further chirping during the faceoff.
Dvalishvili has not been pleased with Nurmagomedov’s quick rise to challenging for gold, but with oddsmakers having him as the sizeable betting underdog, he will have to prove something to achieve his first title defense.
Check out the video above to see Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov face off at the UFC 311 pre-fight press conference.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.
