Merab Dvalishvili wants Islam Makhachev to live up to his own standards.
Dvalishvili was initially loathe to make his first bantamweight title defense against Makhachev’s cousin, Umar Nurmagomedov. Makhachev then expressed his respect for Dvalishvili while asking him to not shy away from fighting a deserving contender. Dvalishvili eventually accepted the booking and successfully defended his title against a previously undefeated Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 earlier this year.
Now Dvalishvili’s countryman Ilia Topuria has vacated his featherweight title in quest for a lightweight title shot against Makhachev.