UFC 306’s Merab Dvalishvili calls Umar Nurmagomedov an “easy” fight

LAS VEGAS – Merab Dvalishvili is confident he will overtake Umar Nurmagomedov.

Dvalishvili (17-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) challenges bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley (18-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC) in the UFC 306 headliner on Saturday at The Sphere (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+).

After defeating Cory Sandhagen in the main event of UFC on ABC 7 in August, Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) was declared the No. 1 contender by UFC CEO Dana White. In a clash between two of the best middleweight wrestlers, Dvalishvili boldly said he would have no problems with Nurmagomedov's style.

“First of all, I have a tough opponent: Sean O'Malley,” Dvalishvili told MMA Junkie and other reporters at UFC 306 media day on Wednesday. “I'm focused on him. God willing, after I beat him, I'll fight whoever the UFC has in mind for me.

“I never choose my next opponent. If Umar is my next opponent, that's fine. My team and I will work and train. I think this fight will be easy for me. This fight is not a problem for me. I will dominate it.”

Dvalishvili has made it clear on several occasions that he does not consider Nurmagomedov a worthy title challenger after only one top-five win. He would rather fight former flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo, who has defeated Rob Font, Cody Garbrandt and Marlon Vera since moving up to bantamweight.

“What excites me more: Deiveson Figueiredo,” said Dvalishvili. “He's a former champion, I've already beaten three former champions. Sean O'Malley is champion now. He will be my fourth champion, and if I fight Figueiredo, that will be my fifth champion.”

“That's my goal. Figueiredo has knockout power, he has good submissions, good ground game, a lot of experience, he's bigger than me. He also dominated former title challenger (Marlon) 'Chito Vera' – and in an even more impressive way than Sean O'Malley.”

For more information on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 306.