UFC fighter, Merab Dvalishvili has made his mark in the boxing world by displaying incredible talent in the ring. It is for this reason that he was nicknamed as ‘The Machine’. Merab made national headlines after defeating his opponent for the Bantamweight crown, Sean O’Malley. This news comes after he consecutively won 11 fights remaining undefeated.

Merab Dvalishvili’s Religion

Although Merab is generally perceived to be a Muslim, that is not the case. Dvalishvili is an Eastern Orthodox Christian who devoutly follows his practices. He frequently shares pictures of him dropping by the Georgian Orthodox Church. The church links itself back to St. Andrew, a part of Jesus’s 12 disciplines.

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Merab Dvalishvili’s Ethnicity

Despite living in the United States for his boxing career for so long, Dvalishvili has not yet acquired his US citizenship. Instead, he has retained his Georgian citizenship. The UFC star shifted to the US in search of better career opportunities in the boxing world and has since then, lived here.

Regardless of living in the US for many years, Dvalishvili has not forgotten his Georgian roots and shows his love for both the countries by carrying both, the US and Georgian flags.

Newest Bantamweight Champion

On September 14, Merab Dvalishvili fought one of the most dangerous strikers, Sean O’Malley, and ultimately defeated him in a thrilling match. The fight, which took place in Sphere, Las Vegas, kept sports fans on the edge of their seats throughout.

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Dvalishvili established his strength since the first round and exchanged powerful strikes from the beginning. In the following round, he unfortunately got caught up in confusion by assuming that the round ended early. However, he gave up a submission to save time.

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Although O’Malley attempted to make use of the confusion caused, it ended to no avail as Dvalishvili successfully avoided his surprise strikes. In the latter half of the fight, O’Malley tried his best to counterattack, however, Dvalishvili’s strong offense did not give him much opportunity to do so.

Thereafter, Merab Dvalishvili became the newest Bantamweight champion dethroning Sean O’Malley.

Dvalishvili Credited His Win To His Home Country

Dvalishvili is the second Georgian citizen to claim a UFC title. Speaking about his win, he stated that his country would be incredibly proud of him and it must be “crazy” for the Republic of Georgia. Furthermore, he explained that it is a big deal to the people back home as winning a UFC belt from a small country means a lot to them. Dvalishvili further spoke about his newest title saying that the people around him are a testament to the fact that his winning the belt is not because of his talent but because of his hard work. He stated, “I’m not gifted.”

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Dvalishvili has certainly set an example to kids by proving how hard work could provide fruitful results.

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Fatima Abid: Obsessed with books since childhood, Fatima Abid now pens down her own words. Her favorite part about writing is transforming the ideas flying in her head into words on a screen. Her abundance of articles are a testament to her passion for writing.