Merab Dvalishvili no longer has an issue with Khabib Nurmagomedov’s cousin — or so he claims.

Ever since Dvalishvili beat Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 in January 2025, the pair have engaged in trash talk on social media and during interviews.

The possibility of a rematch took a hit when the Dagestani bantamweight was knocked out by Song Yadong in Shanghai this past August, and Dvalishvili’s UFC 333 title challenge against a different Russian star means he has bigger fish to fry.

With that in mind, ‘The Machine’ has dropped his feud with Umar, perhaps largely so that he can gain access to a top facility in Abu Dhabi ahead of fight night this Saturday.

Who finishes this bantamweight trilogy on top at UFC 333? 👀

Merab Dvalishvili ends Umar Nurmagomedov feud to train at Khabib’s Abu Dhabi gym

At the height of their animosity, Nurmagomedov picked beating Dvalishvili over winning the title.

That comment came this past summer during a period that also saw ‘The Machine’ slap one of the Russian star’s friends at a Real American Freestyle press conference in Georgia.

The state of Nurmagomedov’s current opinion of Dvalishvili is unknown, but ‘The Machine’ has apparently dropped his grudge.

During episode three of the UFC 333 Embedded series on YouTube, Dvalishvili phoned friend and teammate Aljamain Sterling to ask if he would be interested in joining him for a training session at Khabib’s gym in Abu Dhabi.

“Do you want to train tonight or no?” Dvalishvili asked Sterling.

“I met Nina (Drama) in airport. She gave me a connection with Khabib’s gym. We can go train there. I would like to go there.”

Unsurprisingly, Sterling questioned that plan given his teammate’s well-known feud with the UFC legend’s younger cousin.

“Are you sure? Because of you and Umar,” the American said.

“I’m good with Umar now,” Dvalishvili insisted. “I don’t have any (issue).”

Whether Dvalishvili has actually dropped his grudge toward Umar or simply paused it for the sake of securing access to Khabib’s facilities remains to be seen.

The Dagestani bantamweight could be a considerable distance away from his shot at revenge against Dvalishvili inside the cage if the Georgian regains the title on October 24.

If he beats Yan in their trilogy fight, Dvalishvili expects to fight Song next, having seen the Chinese star stake his claim for a first championship opportunity by putting Umar out cold.