Merab Dvalishvili Admits Recent Social Media Hate 'Was Very Hard for Me'

Merab Dvalishvili has been a UFC champion for less than six months, but he’s already experiencing what it feels like to be a marked man at the top of the division.

“Since I become champion, it became a lot of drama too,” Dvalishvili recently told ESPN. “Lots of talking online. I don’t know, maybe because everybody wanted to see me fight against Umar [Nurmagomedov]. Everybody talking s—t.”

Dvalishvili claimed the bantamweight throne with a lopsided unanimous decision triumph against Sean O’Malley at UFC 306 this past September. Nurmagomedov was in attendance for the fight, and the Dagestani immediately became the promotion’s top contender of choice — despite Dvalishvili’s objections. While the 33-year-old Georgian wanted to enjoy his championship achievement, he ultimately agreed to defend his belt against Nurmagomedov in the UFC 311 co-main event on Jan. 18 in Los Angeles.

In the meantime, “The Machine” has felt the backlash from those who perceived that he was initially avoiding a fight against Nurmagomedov. It all comes with the territory of being a champion, and Dvalishvili claims he’s now comfortable with the additional scrutiny.

“The last couple of fights, I used to get a lot of attention. People recognize me. But hate on Instagram and social media, that was very hard for me,” Dvalishvili said. “That was like extra pressure. But it’s all good. Now I’m good. I’m focused for the fight.

“I’m still learning. The best way now is I should just stay busy and take fights, and that’s it. Because I was going to enjoy this time, but now I feel like I’m Conor McGregor – a lot of drama comes. Even Jon Jones and Mike Tyson used to get a lot of drama. I’m like, ‘Where is this coming from?’ I’m the same guy. I’m training, doing the same things — but it’s all good.”

Even though Dvalishvili signed the contract to face Nurmagomedov, he still maintains that the undefeated Eagles MMA product hasn’t put in the necessary work to earn the No. 1 contender’s spot. Nurmagomedov’s 18-0 record includes six victories in UFC competition. However, outside of Cory Sandhagen, most of his opponents weren’t from the upper echelon of the division — and that was Dvalishvili’s biggest gripe. By comparison, Dvalishvili had to best the likes of Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan, Jose Aldo, Marlon Moraes and John Dodson before he received a title shot.

“Umar is a good fighter. It’s a big challenge. But he don’t earn it like the rest of us,” Dvalishvili said. “We all work hard to get here. I don’t get anything easy. But Umar somehow gets [an easy path]. He just complains all the time that nobody wants to fight him.

“But there are so many good fighters. There is [Mario] Bautista. There are so many fighters that are killers. There is [Montel] Jackson… He fought only Sandhagen, no wrestlling. I guess he’s using this excuse: He beat No. 2 guy [in the UFC rankings] and now he’s here. It’s a big challenge. [The only thing] I hate, he just doesn’t earn it like how a UFC fighter should earn it. He’s just cocky. He should be humble at least.”

With that being said, Dvalishvili acknowledges the skills his opponent brings to the table.

“The fight will be really tough. This is big challenge for me because it’s a new face,” Dvalishvili said. “He’s a good fighter. He has good kicking, good striking, good wrestling. It’s a new challenge.”