It might be the holiday season, but Merab
Dvalishvili wasn’t feeling especially jolly after allegedly
being denied entry into the UFC Performance Institute on
Monday.

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In a social media post, the reigning bantamweight champion claimed
that security wouldn’t let him into the facility because UFC 311
opponent Umar
Nurmagomedov was already inside the buildiing.

“I’m here out front of the UFC P.I., and security don’t let me go
in because they said, ‘Umar Nurmagomedov is inside,’ and they are
protecting him,” Dvalishvili said in a video. “Don’t worry, guys.
I’m not going to smash him before the fight. But Jan. 18, different
story. I’m not able to go in UFC P.I. because I was supposed to get
treatment for my injury. I was supposed to sign some cards. I was
supposed to eat lunch with my friends. What the heck? I’m going to
smash this guy because of all the disrespect, all the lies he was
saying.

“You better show up, Umar. Today, you’re protected. Don’t worry,
I’m not going to punch you before the fight. But Jan. 18, no one
will protect you.”

It’s unclear if Dvalishvili received access to the UFC P.I. later
in day or if his session was rescheduled.

Tension has been building between Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov for
several months now. Dvalishvili was not especially receptive toward
making his first title defense against Nurmagomedov because he
believed that the Dagestani was given preferential treatment by the
promotion as the cousin of retired lightweight champ Khabib
Nurmagomedov. More recently, “The Machine” claimed that his
altercation with a fan at UFC 310
was part of a
setup by Nurmagomedov and his team.

UFC 311 takes place on Jan. 18 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles
and is headlined by a lightweight title tilt between Islam
Makhachev and Arman
Tsarukyan. Dvalishvili vs. Nurmagomedov is slated for the
evening’s co-main event.

IMAK ADMIN

By IMAK ADMIN

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