When Merab Dvalishvili recalled how he was once mistaken for Conor McGregor while in Spain with Ilia Topuria 

Merab Dvalishvili will look to defend his bantamweight title for the second time when he faces Sean O'Malley at UFC 316 in just over a week. Ahead of their first matchup last September, when 'The Machine' claimed the title via unanimous decision at UFC 306, he revealed that he was once mistaken for Conor McGregor while spending time with Ilia Topuria in Spain.

Speaking to Nina Marie Daniele on her YouTube channel, Dvalishvili was asked who he has been told he looks like. He responded:

"I will tell you my one funny story. So, I was in Spain. I was with Ilia Topuria and his brother [Aleksandre]. A true story because, you know, they was there. And, of course, like, I'm in a new country, and I was chasing girls."

Dvalishvili continued:

"UFC [is] not really popular there, but one girl did recognize me and she said, 'That's you!' I said, 'Yes! Yes, like, yes, it's me.' One hour later, she thinks I'm Conor McGregor. I say, 'Yes, yes! Yes, I am Conor McGregor, yes.' I am very appreciative of Conor McGregor. Worked out good, everything."

Check out Merab Dvalishvili's comments on being mistaken for Conor McGregor in Spain below:

Dvalishvili has seen his stardom explode due to his comedic personality outside of the octagon. The bantamweight champion is set to compete for the first time since defeating Umar Nurmagomedov via unanimous decision at UFC 311 in January.

Chael Sonnen claims Merab Dvalishvili lost to Sean O'Malley

There was hardly any controversy regarding Merab Dvalishvili's UFC 306 victory over Sean O'Malley aside from the latter claiming that he was the rightful victor.

Chael Sonnen recently appeared on The Bohnfire podcast, where he told host Mike Bohn that he believes the judges got the result wrong. He said:

"O'Malley vs. Merab, I'm not sure that Merab won that night. I mean, that wasn't really met with a lot of controversy. That was pretty widely accepted and we all got up and went home. That surprised me. If you go back and you watch that fourth and fifth round, you might come to a different opinion than you did the first time. I mean, that fight might have been 3-2 O'Malley."

Check out Chael Sonnen's comments on Sean O'Malley vs. Merab Dvalishvili below (starting at the 32:16 mark):

Sonnen added that he thinks the announcers influenced the perception of the UFC fanbase. He said the fight, which he watched live in the arena, was close but that O'Malley did enough to get his hand raised. The UFC Hall of Famer suggested that the rematch may not be competitive, as 'Suga' will be more motivated than Dvalishvili.