Merab Dvalishvili's coach shares ice-cold prediction for potential Umar Nurmagomedov rematch: "Just like O'Malley"

Merab Dvalishvili's coach recently weighed in on a potential rematch against Umar Nurmagomedov and shared an ice-cold prediction. He highlighted the differences he's noticed in Dvalishvili's performances and claimed Nurmagomedov wouldn't fare too well.

Dvalishvili is coming off an impressive submission win over Sean O'Malley, which extended his winning streak to 13 straight wins to retain his bantamweight title for a second time. What made the result much more impressive was that 'The Machine's' victory was more dominant than his unanimous decision win in their previous encounter at Noche UFC 306.

In his latest conversation with Red Corner MMA, Dvalishvili's coach, Ray Longo, responded when asked what he believes would transpire in a potential rematch against Nurmagomedov. Longo mentioned that 'The Machine' was dialed in and imposed his will on O'Malley rather than showboating, and believes the Russian fighter would suffer the same fate. He said:

"The same way the first fight was, maybe worse. Just like O'Malley... The more comfortable Merab gets, the better he's gonna get. He already fought Uman [Nurmagomedov], he's got the confidence now. You gotta remember, even in the Umar fight, he played around a little bit... So, he's getting more serious with the fight, with that part. You didn't see it in the O'Malley fight. No playing around at all. No kissing, no looking away, he's all business. So, I believe he'll do that to Umar too."

Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more

Check out Ray Longo's comments regarding Merab Dvalishvili below:

Expand Tweet

Merab Dvalishvili open to Umar Nurmagomedov rematch

Merab Dvalishvili also said he would be open to a rematch against Umar Nurmagomedov and noted that it is a decision that will be up to the UFC brass to make.

Red Corner MMA posted a clip from Dvalishvili's latest Q&A to their YouTube channel, where he mentioned that he believes Nurmagomedov would have to get back in the win column, but wouldn't oppose a rematch.

"Umar has to fight one more or maybe two more, maybe three more. We'll see. And yeah, I'm here, I'm fighting and whenever the UFC will give him [a] title fight, I'm here."

Check out Merab Dvalishvili's comments about potential rematch against Umar Nurmagomedov below:

About the author

Giancarlo Aulino is an MMA news writer and interviewer at Sportskeeda. Having been onboard since 2021, Aulino has written list articles, before transitioning to MMA news writing.

In addition to writing at Sportskeeda, Aulino can be heard on VIBE 105.5FM in Toronto, Canada, where he conducts interviews called 'VIBEtalks.' Aulino's segments have featured many respected athletes, broadcasters, and celebrities. In 2024, Aulino, along with his VIBE 105 Sports team members, rebranded their content to The Game Plan 'TGP'.

In addition to MMA, Aulino was previously a pro wrestling writer and soccer (Football) reporter and covered Toronto FC (Major League Soccer) and York United FC (Canadian Premier League).

Follow him on Twitter: @Gian_411

Know More

Follow One Championship News, Schedule & Results at Sportskeeda.

Edited by Subham