{
  "id": 3618638,
  "title": "Russian flag causes spat between Islam Makhachev, Merab Dvalishvili",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/russian-flag-causes-spat-between-islam-makhachev-merab-dvalishvili",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-26T23:40:23.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/russian-flag-causes-spat-between-234023193.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Islam Makhachev, the UFC welterweight champion, appeared displeased by Merab Dvalishvili's reaction to his victory at UFC 330. During the post-fight interview, Dvalishvili expressed his disappointment with the promotion allowing him to display the Russian flag. Dvalishvili, who has faced criticism for his actions, later addressed the situation in a video, asserting his respect for Makhachev and explaining his stance. He emphasized that his issue was not with the Russian people but with the government's actions and policies.",
  "summary": "Islam Makhachev appeared rather irked by Merab Dvalishvili's reaction to his UFC 330 win.",
  "key_points": [
    "Islam Makhachev won UFC 330 welterweight title",
    "Merab Dvalishvili protested Russian flag at post-fight interview",
    "Dvalishvili clarified stance, respects Makhachev"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}