MMA fighters are known for their bravado, but sometimes, even they have to admit when they have met their match. Merab Dvalishvili has been making waves in the UFC, and he has a reputation for being extremely tough. But recently, he dropped a bombshell that left fans scratching their heads.
It all started with a simple sparring session. The Georgian fighter decided to test his mettle against featherweight champion Ilia Topuria. Now, ‘The Machine’ is scary and can hold his own. But as it turns out, even machines can get their gears ground. Talking on the Pound 4 Pound Podcast, he spilled the beans, saying,
“I’ve been sparring with [Ilia Topuria] and he destroyed me..I’m very comfortable in my weight class here at 135 [pounds]. I don’t think I will go up and fight for the belt, it’s not gonna happen…Some matchups, yes, I will, but to be title fight against a [Alexander] Volkanovski, Max Holloway, I’m not confident yet, maybe someday.”
Ilia Topuria has been tearing through the featherweight division like a hot knife through butter. Even seasoned fighters are giving him a wide berth. But here’s where it gets interesting. Merab Dvalishvili didn’t just rule out a title fight at featherweight. He left the door open for “some matchups.”
The bantamweight champ even joked about potentially moving down to flyweight. But before all this, he has one test that he needs to go through, and that is Sean O’Malley. The elite striker will be the biggest fight of his career till now. It remains to be seen if he can overcome it to become the next champion.
Merab Dvalishvili’s Coach Credits His Chaos As The Thing That Will Win Him The UFC 306 Fight
‘The Machine’ is set to fight O’Malley tomorrow. His fighting style is like a tornado in the octagon, all whirling limbs and relentless energy. But is that enough to take down the bantamweight champ? Dvalishvili’s coach thinks so.
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His coach, John Wood, is spilling the beans on their secret weapon: controlled chaos. When Dvalishvili first stepped into the gym, his coach described him as a “madman.” But luckily for him, this madman was coachable, and he learned how to control that chaos. Peter Baelish from Game of Thrones said, ‘Chaos Is a Ladder,’ and Merab holds on to this quote.
“It’s control chaos, Merab got to where he’s at to fight Sean because of his chaos. So what we’ve been working on the last you know, four five years now is learning how to make that chaos more technical, make that chaos more controlled,” said Wood via The Anatomy of a Fighter.
The coach believes this evolution will be the game-changer at UFC 306. But O’Malley is no slouch, as he has impressive knockout power and excellent timing. It remains to be seen if the chaos will be enough for Dvalishvili to make Bruce Buffer say, “And New.”
Also Read: “They Pushed Him” – Merab Dvalishvili Blames The UFC For Aljamain Sterling’s Loss
