Merab Dvalishvili insists his upcoming title challenger is not worthy of the opportunity he’s getting at his UFC bantamweight title.

Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC) is quite annoyed at the fact that Nurmagomedov (18-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) will be challenging him in the co-main event of UFC 311 on Jan. 18 in Inglewood, Calif. (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+), and not any other top contender in the division.

Dvalishvili, who had to go on a 10-fight winning streak to get his shot at the belt, doesn’t think Nurmagomedov has done enough to merit the opportunity, and furthermore, isn’t liking Nurmagomedov’s attitude towards the situation.

“Umar is a good fighter. It’s a big challenge, but he don’t earn it like the rest of us,” Dvalishvili told ESPN. “We all know we work hard to get here, I don’t get anything easy, but somehow gets easy. He just complains all the time that nobody wants to fight him, but there are so many good fighters. There’s (Mario) Bautista, there are other fighters that are killers.

“But yeah, he fought only (Cory) Sandhagen (with) no wrestling, and he’s using that excuse that he beat the No. 2 guy, and now he’s here. It’s a big challenge, but the only thing I hate is that he don’t earn it how UFC fighters should earn it, and he’s just cocky. He should be humble at least, and he just disrespects me and lying, and that’s not what real men should do. That’s it.”

Despite not thinking Nurmagomedov is worthy of the title shot, Dvalishvili does recognize that the Dagestan fighter is a skilled foe, which is why he’s taking the challenge very seriously.

“The fight will be really tough and this is a big, big challenge for me because it’s a new face and yeah, he’s a good fighter,” Dvalishvili said. “He’s good at kicking, striking, wrestling, and it’s a new challenge.”

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