“I feel like I’m Conor McGregor” – UFC champion compares himself to Jon Jones and Mike Tyson ahead of UFC 311.

Merab Devalishvili has said that he feels like Conor McGregor in his new life as a world champion.

Devalishvili also compared the reactions he has received since his conversion UFC Hero to what? John Jones and Mike Tyson I received it once

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The 33-year-old then won the UFC lightweight title Dominating Sean O’Malley At UFC 306 in September.

Devalishvili lost his first two fights in the Dana White promotion, but went on a 10-fight winning streak to earn his first shot at UFC gold.

“The Machine” is now considered one of the deadliest bantamweights in the world, averaging over 6 takedowns per fight in his UFC career.

However, for his first title defense at UFC 311, Devalishvili will face a similar opponent in the undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov of Russia.

It’s the first UFC pay-per-view event of 2025 on January 19, as Islam Makhachev makes it two title fights on the night in his main event against Arman Tzarukian.

“It was good,” Devalishvili said ESPN MMA About his life since the world championship

But since I became the champion, I also got a lot of drama. A lot of talking, maybe because everyone wanted to see me fight Omar.

“The last two fights I got a lot of attention, people know me but hate on Instagram and social media, which is very difficult for me.

So it was extra pressure, but everything is fine, now I’m fine and I’m focused on the fight (with Nurmagomedov).

Devalishvili in Center of several conflicts With UFC fans in 2024.

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At UFC 310 in December, he cornered longtime friend Al-Jamin Sterling in his preliminary card loss to Russia’s Mousar Oliv.

The defeat led to the crowd hurling abuse at Sterling’s coaching staff, prompting a member of the team to punch a fan in attendance.

Devalishvili was then escorted out of T-Mobile Stadium in Las Vegas by security forces along with other team members.

The conflict resulted in the UFC boss Dana White He warned Devalishvili that if he continued to fight with the fans, “it will cost you dearly”.

Asked how he navigates the hate he receives, Devalishvili added: “The best way now is to stay busy and fight.”

This is because I wanted to enjoy myself for a while, but now I feel like I am Conor McGregora lot of drama is coming.

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“Even John Jones and Mike Tyson “I’ve had a lot of drama before, and I’m like, ‘Where’s this coming from?’, the same guy doing the same things, but it’s all good.”

McGregor is one of the most controversial fighters in UFC history due to his outspoken nature and unique personality.

Things got worse for the Irishman after that He was found responsible for sexual assault In a Supreme Court civil case filed by Nikita Hand in November.

Jones has also been relentlessly hated throughout his career as one of MMA’s biggest stars.

he has He had already tested positive For performance-enhancing drugs, or PEDs, and the banned anabolic steroid, Turinabol, which helps muscles grow and become stronger.

In early 2024, Devalishvili was involved in another altercation when he jumped into the stands during a UFC event to confront a heckler.

Devalishvili revealed that the fan was taunting him by referring to O’Malley, who beat him at UFC 306.

“He’s my Mini Strickland without the mouth,” White said of Devalishvili’s demeanor.

“What are you going to do? Let him buy the pay-per-view. I mean, I don’t know. You can’t keep fighting f***ing fans.

“It’s going to cost you a lot. You can do it. It’s going to cost you a lot, right?

“Listen, man, I say this all the time. We’re in the business of fighting. It’s going to happen. We’ve got to deal with it.”