Merab
Dvalishvili doesn’t think Dagestani fighters are unbeatable,
and he has the recent proof to back up that assertion.
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Dvalishvili is the only fighter to have beaten a Dagestani in a
major title fight in recent times. After winning the
UFC bantamweight title against Sean O’Malley at UFC 306 last
year, Dvalishvili was initially loathe to immediately defend his
title against Umar
Nurmagomedov. “The Machine” claimed that the undefeated
Dagestani was being gifted a title shot because of the legacy of
his cousin, Khabib
Nurmagomedov.
However, Dvalishvili eventually agreed to the matchup, which took
place in the co-main event at UFC 311
in California last month. While Nurmagomedov didn’t lack in skills,
Dvalishvili’s legendary cardio was enough to hand the challenger
his first pro loss.
Dvalishvili has subsequently refuted the popular aura of
invincibility surrounding Dagestani fighters. While he admits that
the region has produced great athletes, the Georgian believes they
are as beatable as any other. While Khabib retired undefeated,
Dvalishvili believes “Eagle” simply didn’t meet his match.
„Dagestanis are really good fighters,” Dvalishvili recently told
Europop (via Championship Rounds). “They have always excelled in
martial arts… But at the same time, they are ordinary people,
heavenly forces do not help them. They are ordinary athletes and
others can defeat them, as you saw in my case. Khabib went
undefeated, but he simply did not meet a worthy opponent.”