[autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] thinks it’s unfair that [autotag]Umar Nurmagomedov[/autotag] gets to jump the UFC rankings on the strength of one win.
Prior to Nurmagomedov beating Cory Sandhagen in Saturday’s UFC on ABC 7 headliner, Dvalishvili (17-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) expressed his frustration on Nurmagomedov’s quick rise. Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) went from fighting unranked Raoni Barcelos to newcomer Bekzat Almakhan to No. 2 ranked Sandhagen (17-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC).
“He has a push because we all know why,” Dvalishvili said in an interview with “Heavywgt MMA.” “He’s Khabib’s cousin. He’s a good fighter. I have all the respect to him.”
Nurmagomedov said he was guaranteed a title shot with a win over Sandhagen. On the contrary, Dvalishvili had to amass a 10-fight winning streak – including wins over former champions Jose Aldo, Petr Yan and Henry Cejudo – before getting his shot at gold.
“It leaves me heartbroken when you see sometimes when you working hard,” Dvalishvili said. “I wasn’t sure if I was getting a title fight until two weeks ago. After I beat Jose Aldo, I was supposed to fight for the belt. After I beat Petr Yan, I was supposed to fight for the belt. After I beat Henry Cejudo, I wasn’t sure. …
(Nurmagomedov) is a good fighter, but he got pushed. It’s like cheating a little bit to get here. I have 12 fights in the UFC. I beat like seven or eight ranked fighters.”
Dvalishvili will finally get his shot when he challenges bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley (17-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) in the UFC 306 main event Sept. 14 at Sphere in Las Vegas.
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Umar Nurmagomedov disappointed in first UFC main event, expected to ‘maul’ Cory Sandhagen on the ground
UFC on ABC 7 social media reactions: Umar Nurmagomedov’s win over Cory Sandhagen thrills fighters
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ABC 7.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Umar Nurmagomedov receiving UFC push leaves Merab Dvalishvili a little ‘heartbroken’
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