Merab Dvalishvili says he won’t move up to 145 pounds to fight Ilia Topuria, saying that Ilia would “beat” him in sparring.
He has also said he is open to dropping down to flyweight, but he probably won’t challenge for the featherweight belt.
🎥 Follow
#UFC
#Mixed Martial Arts
pic.twitter.com/ANNpuytg0p
— Championship Round (@ChampRDS)
September 13, 2024
Merab Dvalishvili has no plans to move up to featherweight to challenge Ilia Topuria for the 145-pound title.
Dvalishvili will challenge for coveted bantamweight gold on Saturday against Sean O’Malley in the main event of UFC 306 at the Sphere in Las Vegas. “The Machine” will have the chance to become just the second Georgian to win a UFC title, following Topuria, who knocked out Alexander Volkanovski to win the featherweight championship at UFC 298 in February of this year.
O’Malley had been planning to move up to featherweight to challenge Topuria for the title if he beat Dvalishvili on Saturday, but Dvalishvili is happy in his current weight class and has no such ambitions.
Speaking of possible promotions, Dvalishvili adamantly denied the idea of ​​fighting his best friend. Topuria is six years younger than the 33-year-old Dvalishvili, but “The Machine” likes him for his intelligence and good-natured personality. Dvalishvili also admitted that he was overpowered by “El Matador” when they sparred.
UFC 306: O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili airs Saturday at 10pm ET on ESPN+. Order now!
Dvalishvili isn’t opposed to moving up to featherweight for a few bouts, but he’s unsure if he’ll be able to compete at the top level at 145 pounds. The bantamweight fighter would consider dropping down to flyweight in the future, while following a strict diet.
“Absolutely not. I will never fight Ilya,” Dvalishvili said on the Pound 4 Pound podcast. “First of all, he’s my brother. I love him dearly. He’s a lot younger than me, but he’s smart, a very good person. He’s a family man, he’s a good friend of mine. I will never fight him. I sparred with him and he beat me. He’s stronger than me. I’m not afraid to fight, but Ilya is my friend and he’s Georgian and I will never fight him. And I’m very happy in my weight class at 135.”
[pounds]I’m not going to fight for the belt. That’s not going to happen. I can compete in some matches. Of course I will. But… [Alexander] Volkanovski and Max Holloway, I’m not sure yet. Maybe one day I’ll start dieting and get down to 125kg. [pounds].”
Topuria is scheduled to defend his title against former champion Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 308 at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 26. Dvalishvili is riding the longest win streak in UFC bantamweight history at 10 fights, with wins over Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan and Jose Aldo.
