Everyone loves a good comeback story, whether it’s in film or sports. It’s always inspiring to see someone rise from rock bottom and turn their life around. The story of Merab Dvalishvili is exactly that. The current UFC champion, at the peak of his career, recently revealed he made a comeback to MMA after walking away from the sport in 2014. He lost all motivation after two back-to-back losses at CFFC and decided to give it up. But look at him now – a true testament to resilience and perseverance.
Recently, during an appearance on Verse Us with Eric Nicksick, Merab opened up about stepping away from MMA to have fun but realized he wasn’t truly happy and missed the competition. That’s when he decided to make his return. However, Merab was battling recurrent headaches, and things got so bad that he had to cancel a fight. He even considered walking away from the sport to live a normal life.
He said, “I wasn’t happy, not motivated, and… I was like, ‘I have a job [construction].’ And I was thinking about getting back to construction. Maybe one day I would have become a contractor and give people jobs and make money. Work day time, and at night, go to clubs and restaurants, hang out with girls, maybe get married, and live a normal life.”
😓Back in 2014, Merab Dvalishvili retired from MMA after his second professional loss, believing he wouldn’t make it to the UFC:
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) January 2, 2025
“At that time, I was thinking, 'If I lost here, in Ring of Combat, I was 1-2… How am I gonna win in the UFC?' But I said, 'Win or lose, I’ll keep… pic.twitter.com/FdSWVkjn2N
Merab shared that during that period, he was unsure how he would make it to the UFC if he lost, given that his record in Ring of Combat was 1-2. However, he decided to continue fighting, regardless of the outcome. He even hoped that he might get his immigration papers and have the chance to fight in places like China or Russia, as long as they covered his flight. However, as they say, the rest is history.
Merab Dvalishvili Reflects on Champion Life and Media Scrutiny
In a recent interview, Dvalishvili opened up about the challenges of being a champion. He said he’s still working on finding his balance, but he stays active, keeps fighting, and savors the journey. The UFC champ also shared that he looks up to fighters like Conor McGregor, Mike Tyson, and Jon Jones, who have all faced their own share of criticism and controversy throughout their careers.
In his words, “Now I feel like I’m a Conor McGregor; a lot of drama comes, you know. I feel like even Jon Jones and Mike Tyson used to get a lot of drama before. I’m like, ‘Where is this coming from?’ Same guy, trying to do the same things, but it’s all good.”
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There is no doubt that it’s a learning curve, but he’s getting better at handling the pressure as he continues to rise. For him, it’s all part of the grind as he keeps moving forward in the sport.
