SUMMARY
- Merab Dvalishvili was born in Georgia but had to move to the United States to fulfill his dream.
- Merab Dvalishvili's gymmates talked about his nickname.
Merab Dvalishvili is a professional Georgian MMA fighter who competes in the UFC. Dvalishvili currently competes in the bantamweight division of the UFC, where he is the current No. 2 second-ranked fighter in the division. The 33-year-old fighter moved to America when he was 21 years old with a dream of becoming a professional MMA fighter.
He started competing in MMA professionally in 2014 and accumulated 7 wins and 2 losses on his resume. After this, he signed with the UFC in 2017, making his debut in the same year. While he lost his first two fights in the promotion, Merab Dvalishvili went on a subsequent nine-fight win streak. This has now made him a top contender for the belt in the coming months.
But it wasn’t all easy for Dvalishvili, as his first days in America were not what he had expected. He had to work as a construction worker to make ends meet. But this did not stop him from willingly pursuing his dream and finally achieving it.
Along the way, Merab Dvalishvili picked up a peculiar nickname that, in retrospect, suits him better than anybody else. The Georgian fighter is best known for his relentless approach in the octagon, with his cardio and grappling being his best qualities. These, coupled with his never-give-up attitude, make him a menace to deal with.
How did Merab Dvalishvili get his nickname “The Machine”
Merab Dvalishvili has always been a hard worker; coming to America to pursue his dream was never going to be easy. But Merab’s undying determination, in a way, has made it seem easy. And his gymmates unequivocally agree with this. It was none other than Dvalishvili’s gymmates at the Serra Jiu-Jitsu Mixed Martial Arts Gym that gave him the nickname ‘The Machine’.
UFC Lightweight Matt Frevola said in a YouTube short, “Merab is just killing it, you know, like running through people. And I’m like, Merab, you know, we need to get you a name for the American people. And I’m like, you’re a machine, bro. Like, you don’t stop… Merab The machine. I planted that seed at the gym… He fights that way; he doesn’t stop; he trains that way. The machine is a perfect nickname.”
Even Aljamain Sterling had a few words about his gymmate, Merab. He said, “Dvalishvili does not get tired. We call him ‘The Machine’ for a reason. He would finish sparring with me, and I’m done with fighting there. I would get on the bike or hit the pads to get an extra cardio push, and he would be there, grab two, three, sometimes four more bodies to spar with, and I am like, this guy does not f**king stop.”
The Georgian fighter has surely received high praise from his peers. And he shows that there is truth behind all the praise through his performances. But ‘The Machine‘ is not the only Georgian fighter in the UFC. Recent years have seen a growth in the number of Georgian fighters, with some of them being extraordinary in their weight divisions.
Other Georgian fighters in the UFC ft. Ilia Topuria, Giga Chikadze, etc.
Most people don’t know that Ilia ‘El Matador’ Topuria isn’t Spanish by birth. The fighter, who currently lives in Alicante, Spain, was born in Georgia. The 27-year-old is without a doubt destined for greatness and is already ranked #3 in the UFC featherweight rankings. He boasts a professional MMA record of 14-0-0 and is on a UFC win streak of six fights since his debut in 2020.
He is slated for a title bout against Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298, on February 17, 2024, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. A win could bring Georgia their first-ever UFC belt. While there is little doubt that Merab Dvalishvili wouldn’t follow suit with the bantamweight belt.
Giga ‘Ninja’ Chikadze is a phenomenal striker who has been a former kickboxing champion of the world. He won seven straight fights in the UFC before encountering his first loss in the MMA promotion. He has since bounced back with a win and sits at #9 in the featherweight rankings. The Georgian striker is still a promising contender in the division at 35 years of age.
Guram ‘Georgian Viking’ Kutateladze is currently 12-4-0 in his professional MMA career. He won his UFC debut in October 2020 but went on to lose the next two fights. The Georgian lightweight is still finding his feet in the UFC. Roman Dolidze is another Georgian UFC fighter who is currently ranked #9 in the middleweight rankings of the UFC.
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Dolidze has a professional MMA record of 12-3-0, out of which he has won six fights in the UFC while losing three. All these fighters have successfully made a mark in the UFC. Another Georgian fighter who could soon be making his way into the UFC is Ilia Topuria’s brother, Alexsandre Topuria. El Matador said that his brother had already signed with the promotion.