Merab Dvalishvili calls Umar Nurmagomedov an “easy” fight for him: “I will dominate him”

Merab Dvalishvili believes Umar Nurmagomedov is an easy fight for him and looks forward to handing him his first loss.

Dvalishvili is set to take on Sean O’Malley in the main event of UFC 306 on Saturday for the bantamweight title. Although the Georgian is the underdog, he has full confidence he will get his hand raised at The Sphere.

Should Merab Dvalishvili beat O’Malley at UFC 306, Nurmagomedov will likely be the next contender. Although Nurmagomedov is undefeated, Dvalishvili is confident he will beat him with ease.

“First I have a tough opponent, Sean O’Malley. I’m focused on him, God willing after I win against him, whoever the UFC wants me to fight, I will fight. I never choose my next opponent. If Umar is my next opponent, that’s fine. Me and my team we will work and we will train, that fight, I think it’s easy for me. That fight is no problem for me. I will dominate him,” Dvalishvili said at UFC 306 media day.

If Merab Dvalihsvili does fight and dominate Umar Nurmagomedov as he says, it would be a statement win. No one has been able to beat, let alone be dominated.

Merab Dvalishvili would rather fight Deiveson Figueiredo next

However, Merab Dvalishvili says he would rather have Deiveson Figueiredo serve as his first title defense. He believes beating a former champion would help his legacy even more.

“What excites me, Deiveson Figueiredo, he is a former champion, I already beat three former champions, Sean O’Malley is champion now, he will be my fourth champion, and if I fight Figueiredo it will be my fifth champion. That is my goal,” Dvalishvili said.

But, before Merab Dvalishvili can fight Umar Nurmagomedov or Deiveson Figueiredo, he will need to beat Sean O’Malley at UFC 306 on Saturday night.

To earn the title shot, Dvalishvili beat Henry Cejudo back in February. He’s riding a 10-fight winning streak with notable wins over Petr Yan, Jose Aldo, and Marlon Moraes.