Islam Makhachev Lashes Out at Merab Dvalishvili for his Comments on Russian Flag

Islam Makhachev had an in-octagon celebration with his team following his UFC 330 win. However, following the bout, Merab Dvalishvili seemed annoyed about Makhachev bringing the Russian flag to the octagon. Now, replying to the former UFC Bantamweight Champion, the UFC Welterweight Champion has spoken up. 

Islam Makhachev Sees Jealousy in Merab Dvalishvili

In a recent interaction with Ushatayka, Makhachev was seen discussing Dvalishvili's comments about the flag. Brushing off the accusations, the 34-year-old stated the UFC bantamweight fighters have always been unhappy about Makhachev’s success inside the octagon. Taking further jabs at the Georgian mixed-martial artist. He stated that Petr Yan would also dominate in their trilogy fight. 

“From the very beginning he wasn't happy at all about my success in the Octagon. He's already spoken about this many times. But Petr Yan, after beating him and raising the flag in the Octagon, I think he'll beat him again now and finally make him shut up,” said Makhachev. 

Surely, such a statement would reignite the beef between the two. With Dvalishvili publicly criticizing Team Khabib fighters multiple times, Makhachev’s recent comments will only serve as further fuel to the bad blood. 

What did Merab Dvalishvili Comment about Islam Makhachev’s Russian Flag? 

Makhachev earned a hard-fought victory against the Irish fighter Ian Garry. Dvalishvili was spotted keeping a close eye on the fight alongside popular UFC creator Nina Drama. As he spotted the champion celebrating with the Russian flag, the former UFC champion started to complain about how the UFC rules worked. 

Dvalishvili stated, “I thought they're not allowed to have a flag there, bro. They don't let me use the flag. Now they are, this flag is banned. This flag is banned everywhere in the world. And only, of course, they show it here in UFC.”

Following his comments, the UFC did not provide an official response. Now, with Makhachev addressing the topic directly, fans will wait to see how things pan out next.