Merab Dvalishvili rejects potential Umar Nurmagomedov rematch, talks possibly being bypassed for UFC title shot

Merab Dvalishvili has been lobbying for a UFC title shot for the past several months. He's 1-1 in his two-fight series against reigning UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan, who's currently enjoying his second reign as the 135-pound kingpin. 

Nevertheless, after dethroning Dvalishvili in December 2025, Yan subsequently underwent back surgery and has been recovering from the same. His comeback date and the exact timeline of their potential title rematch remains unclear as of now. 

In the meantime, Dvalishvili has chosen to try his hand at freestyle wrestling under the RAF (Real American Freestyle) wrestling banner. He was expected to take on Olympic gold medalist freestyle wrestler and former two-division UFC champion, Henry Cejudo, in the RAF. 

However, Cejudo withdrew from their match. Dvalishvili is currently booked to fight ex-UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar in a lightweight freestyle wrestling match at RAF 9 at the College Park Center in Arlington, Texas, U.S.A., on May 30, 2026. 

Merab Dvalishvili trashes potential Umar Nurmagomedov rematch, talks Sean O'Malley possibly passing him for title shot

During the RAF 9 pre-event press conference, Merab Dvalishvili was asked about the possibility of "Sugar" Sean O'Malley, whom he holds two wins over in the UFC, possibly leapfrogging him to a UFC bantamweight title shot. For context, O'Malley holds a split decision win over current bantamweight titlist Petr Yan from 2022. 

O'Malley is booked to fight Aiemann Zahabi in a key bantamweight matchup at UFC Freedom 250 at the White House in Washington on June 14, 2026. On that note, Dvalishvili was asked about whether he'll accept a No. 1 contender's fight against Umar Nurmagomedov if O'Malley knocks out Zahabi and earns a title shot. 

Dvalishvili sounded off on the idea. The ex-UFC bantamweight champ stated, "What kind of question is this? I'm sure you know I'm fighting Petr Yan. It's going to be trilogy. You know it's one and one. He beat me last fight. And we have to fight again. But who the f**k is Umar, bro? Who cares about him?" 

Intriguingly, Dvalishvili has faced Nurmagomedov once, handing the latter his first MMA loss back in 2025. He outpointed the Dagestani fighter and notched a successful bantamweight title defense. 

 

Watch Merab Dvalishvili discuss the topic below (*comments at the 1:00-minute mark of the video): 

Merab Dvalishvili wants to keep busy with RAF, reaffirms interest in Petr Yan trilogy

Around the 8:25-minute mark of the aforementioned video, Merab Dvalishvili reaffirmed that he's ready for the trilogy MMA bout against Petr Yan. 

The Georgian-American fighter also indicated that he intends to keep himself busy by competing in the RAF until he gets his chance to recapture the UFC bantamweight belt from Yan. "The Machine" heaped praise on the RAF and expressed his gratitude for the opportunity they've accorded to him. He said: 

"I've been ready for fight, waiting for Petr Yan. But he's taking his time. And this (RAF) is another challenge for me to be busy."