"Bautista's cousin's name is not Khabib" - Merab Dvalishvili deems Mario Bautista "more deserving" of a title shot than Umar Nurmagomedov 

It looks like there is no love lost between Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov. 'The Machine' is hoping that Mario Bautista, "whoops Umar's a**" at UFC 321, and earns himself a title shot

Many believe the winner of the UFC 321 fight will be next in line for the title after Dvalishvili's upcoming fight against Cory Sandhagen. When MMA Junkie's Mike Bohn brought up the topic during a recent interview, the bantamweight champion said:

"Yeah, I hope Bautista whoops Umar's a** and I will fight Bautista next, because Bautista is a good fighter, you know. He has got a good winning streak, beat a lot of good guys, and he is a more deserving guy too. Bautista's cousin's name is not Khabib. That's why he needs a nine-fight win streak to maybe fight for the belt. Some people can get the belt after a six-fight win streak [by] fighting nobodies, you know, without ranked opponents. So Bautista could be next."

Check out Merab Dvalishvili's comments below (11:47):

'The Machine' has long been highly critical of Nurmagomedov getting a title shot against him at UFC 311. As he sees it, the Dagestani needed more wins over top-ranked opponents before being granted such an opportunity.

Dvalishvili also argues that Umar’s UFC career wouldn’t have taken off so quickly if not for being Khabib's cousin. And after his fellow bantamweight seemingly weaponized a Georgian proverb in the lead-up to their fight, their relationship has been ever more strained.

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When lightweight star explained why Umar Nurmagomedov lost to Merab Dvalishvili

While Umar Nurmagomedov reportedly broke his hand in the first round of the fight against Merab Dvalishvili, lightweight elite Arman Tsarukyan doesn't believe that was what led to his defeat at UFC 311.

As the No.2-ranked 155-pounder sees it, it was Nurmagomedov's inadequate experience fighting the cream of the crop, like the bantamweight champion, that cost him the contest. During an appearance on the JAXXON PODCAST, Tsarukyan said:

"He hasn't had tough fighters like Merab [before]. So, he did very good two rounds, but then he got tired. The hand [breaking issue] and tired are different. He could kick, he could defend, [but he was tired]."