Merab Dvalishvili has admitted that there are two UFC champions that he would never be able to get the better of if they were to fight.
After losing his first two octagon outings, the Georgian has looked unbeatable on his run to the top of the bantamweight division. Should he win on Saturday at UFC 323, Dvalishvili will have defended his belt four times within a calendar year, breaking a long-standing record in the promotion.
He is also well into the process of doubling back through the division’s top contenders; his rematch with Petr Yan will be his second among the bantamweight top five. There has been some clamouring for a move up to featherweight, which he would entertain for a super-fight with Alexander Volkanovski.
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Merab Dvalishvili admits he would never fight two of his friends
It has looked in recent years as though there is nobody who can ever end Merab Dvalishvili’s title charge. From Petr Yan to Sean O’Malley, he has taken out champions and defended against a record-breaking amount of opponents.
It’s safe to say he has cleared out his division, and is considered one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters in the world. However, speaking with Bloody Elbow, he revealed there are two men he would never be able to beat.
Is Merab Dvalishvili the greatest bantamweight of all time?
“Ilia Topuria and Aljamain Sterling are two of the top fighters I have ever seen and they’re my friends.,” he explained when asked who his toughest opponent would be. “Everybody else on the planet I could find a way to win. But those two guys, I don’t know.”
Dvalishvili has been friends with Sterling for years, and famously turned down a shot at the title when his friend was bantamweight champion. Now the New Yorker is up at featherweight, that may be playing a part in his hesitancy to move up.
As for Topuria, he and Dvalishvili are fellow countrymen from Georgia, and while they aren’t as close as he and Sterling they are still close. This fight is considerably less likely given that the two-weight champion is now up at lightweight, and is seemingly eyeing welterweight more than a move back down.
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