“I've got to tell you, I think Umar Nurmagomedov is probably the one guy that can challenge him. We saw their fight; it was 48—47 across the board. Everyone else cannot stay with him. It’s going to be very difficult for guys to figure out how to beat him because he’s just going to keep hitting them with takedowns. He’s a very hard challenge to prepare for.”

– reacted after Merab's victory against Cory Sandhagen