Merab Dvalishvili Fires Back at Umar Nurmagomedov's Injury Claims: “I Fought with a Broken Back”

UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili isn’t buying the injury excuses from Umar Nurmagomedov following their clash at UFC 311. After securing a dominant decision victory over Nurmagomedov, Dvalishvili dismissed his opponent’s claims of a broken hand sustained in the first round, revealing his own struggles leading up to the fight.

“I broke my back during training camp,” Dvalishvili revealed at the post-fight press conference. “There were days I couldn’t even get out of bed. I didn’t have the luxury of having Khabib Nurmagomedov in my corner, and the Performance Institute was closed during the holidays.”

Despite these hurdles, Dvalishvili maintained his relentless pressure throughout the bout, proving why he's one of the toughest bantamweights in the UFC. He pointed out that every fighter deals with injuries, emphasizing that champions must push through adversity.

Nurmagomedov, who suffered his first career loss, stated post-fight that he couldn’t throw punches after the first round due to his hand injury. However, Dvalishvili remained unimpressed, highlighting that true fighters overcome such setbacks.

“I’m not making excuses,” he said. “At the end of the day, who won? Who pushed through?”

Fans were quick to react to Dvalishvili’s comments, praising his warrior mentality. Meanwhile, speculation grows about what's next for the Georgian fighter, with potential matchups against other top contenders in the division.

As for Nurmagomedov, he remains confident in his abilities and plans to make a strong comeback, with hopes of securing another shot at UFC gold in the future.