Merab Dvalishvili’s Training Partner Makes a Surprising Admission About "The Machine"
Merab Dvalishvili’s teammate has lauded the Georgian phenom while explaining how hard it is to keep up with Dvalishvili's pace and why it is not easy to train with the 35-year-old.
"The Machine," who lost his bantamweight title to Petr Yan last year in a rematch at UFC 323, is now slated to run it back with "No Mercy" this weekend at UFC 333. Dvalishvili has had months to prepare for the Yan trilogy bout while the Russian recovered from back surgery and stayed on the sidelines for the first three quarters of 2026.
Merab Dvalishvili's Friend considers Merab "God-Gifted"
Merab Dvalishvili’s teammate, who is confident "The Machine" will dethrone Petr Yan, recently praised Dvalishvili's training methods while also noting how the former champ does not injure his teammates. However, he admitted that keeping up with Dvalishvili's relentless pace, constant takedowns, and strikes is no easy game.
“I never got injured with Merab. He spars hard, trains hard, but he never injures you, so I enjoy training with him. Imagine, when I spar with him one round, I swear it's the same as sparring with another person five rounds. It just drains your energy. You wrestle him one round, you're dead, and everybody's like that. This guy has God-gifted talent, and I'm 100 percent sure he's going to get it all back.”
Check out Merab Dvalishvili’s teammate's comments below:
Merab Dvalishvili says he feels rejuvenated before UFC 333
2025 was a busy year for Merab Dvalishvili - Four title fights in just 12 months in pursuit of becoming the first champion to register four successful title defenses in a year. He barely got time to prepare for a specific opponent or rest for an ample period before another bout.
However, now, after a 10-month layoff, Dvalishvili says he feels rejuvenated and believes his performance in the upcoming fight will show how much he has improved. He told MMA Junkie's Mike Bohn:
"I do feel much , but I want to show, like I want to show my fight and my result. And you guys, I don't want to just talk about how I feel good and blah blah blah. You guys will see, you know. It's gonna be a different result than what it was last time. And I think , yeah. Uh, I'll be much better now."
Check out Merab Dvalishvili's comments below (1:57):
