When Merab Dvalishvili made brutally honest admission about Ilia Topuria: "Let's leave it like this"

Back in late 2024, UFC bantamweight champ Merab Dvalishvili set the record straight on whether he would ever fight fellow Georgian Ilia Topuria, who was the UFC featherweight champion at the time. Before his title shot against Sean O'Malley at Noche UFC 306 back in September of last year, 'The Machine' was asked by Kamaru Usman if he'll ever lock horns with 'El Matador'.

Surprisingly, the ultra-competitive Dvalishvili said he's not willing to do it - and it's for a good reason.

Merab Dvalishvili said:

"Never. I will never fight Ilia. First, he's my brother. I really love him. And I've been sparring with him, and he destroyed me, you know. He's stronger than me. So, let's leave it like this. You know, I'm not afraid to fight, but Ilia is my friend. Georgian. And I will never fight him."

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He continued:

"And I'm very comfortable with my weight class here, 135 pounds. I don't think I will go up and fight for the belt. Some match-ups, yes. But to fight against [Alexander] Volkanovski, Max Holloway, I'm not confident yet. I'm good here. Especially now, I have two friends in the 145-pound division. Aljamain Sterling, he's there too."

Listen to Merab Dvalishvili here:

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Merab Dvalishvili addresses rumored toe injury ahead of Sean O'Malley rematch at UFC 316

At UFC 316, Merab Dvalishvili will attempt to defend his belt for a second time. Across the octagon from him will be the man he took the belt from, former champion Sean O'Malley.

In the lead-up to the fight, a rumor started circulating that 'The Machine' has suffered a toe injury during fight camp. With other big fights getting canceled due to a similar injury (McGregor-Chandler), fans were understandably concerned.

Setting the record straight, Dvalishvili appeared on his friend Aljamain Sterling's social media to clarify the situation. He said:

"Yeah, I felt it. It was real. I finished the round. It was no problem. That night, I felt the pain. I put the ice [on it], but [in] the next days, it was [swelling] black and blue. Yeah, it wasn't bad. It's still chubby but it's a little toe. I feel [it] every time I kick now. But when I walk, no problem. I should be fine."

Listen to Dvalishvili here:

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About the author

Duane is an expert MMA writer at Sportskeeda with over 10 years of experience working for the likes of Philippine Star, Esquire Philippines, Playboy Philippines, etc. A major in English, he has written over 2000 articles for Sportskeeda section, extensively covering UFC and boxing fights.

Duane is a practicing MMA fighter with a 11-7 record. He is also a Brazilian jiu-jitsu purple belt and trains Muay Thai. His connection with MMA dates back to 2005, when he turned into a fan after watching Fedor Emelianenko defeat Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic at Pride FC - Final Conflict 2005.

Emelianenko finds himself right at the top of Duane’s Mt. Rushmore of MMA fighters, alongside other big names like Demetrious Johnson, Jon Jones, Georges St-Pierre, and Anderson Silva.

Duane’s love for the sport is reflected in his writings, where he believes in speculating but not insinuating. He uses his intensive knowledge and skills in MMA to provide unique insights to the readers, along with sourcing information only from reliable sources.

Outside of work, Duane enjoys martial arts training, visual arts, film criticism, video games, and creative writing.

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Edited by Krishna Venki