Dana White was pleased with Ilia Topuria’s victory at UFC 308, and during the press conference, he addressed several key topics, including what could be next for champion Merab Dvalishvili.
According to White, Dvalishvili may defend his UFC Bantamweight Championship against Umar Nurmagomedov, stating that this matchup “absolutely” could be the title fight. However, he did not specify an exact date for the bout.
The last time Dvalishvili fought in the UFC was against Sean O’Malley, where he claimed his first UFC belt, the Bantamweight Championship. It was a fairly straightforward fight for Dvalishvili, who came in fresh off a victory over Henry Cejudo. Recently, Cejudo stirred some controversy with statements supporting Ilia Topuria.
Meanwhile, Umar Nurmagomedov remains undefeated and recently secured a unanimous decision victory over Cory Sandhagen in a bantamweight title eliminator, marking his 18th career win.
What happened to Umar Nurmagomedov’s fight against Song Yadong?
According to multiple sources and Nurmagomedov himself, who recently posted on his X account, Yadong declined the scheduled December fight due to an injury. In that same post, Nurmagomedov issued a strong message to Merab Dvalishvili, challenging his recognition as a champion.