Merab Dvalishvili has no plans of moving up to featherweight to challenge Ilia Topuria for the 145-pound title.
Merab Dvalishvili says he wouldn't move up to 145 lbs to fight Ilia Topuria, and says Ilia"destroys" him in sparringon Saturday at the Sphere in Las Vegas. “The Machine” will get a chance to become the second Georgian to win a UFC title after Topuria, who knocked outO’Malley has consistently been plotting a move up to featherweight to challenge Topuria for the title if he gets past Dvalishvili on Saturday.
Speaking of a potential move up, Dvalishvili absolutely shut down the idea of fighting his good friend. While Topuria is six years younger than the 33-year-old Dvalishvili, “The Machine” likes him due to his intelligence and good nature. Dvalishvili also admits to being humbled by “El Matador” when they sparred.While Dvalishvili isn’t opposed to idea of a move up to featherweight for a few fights, he doubts he is ready for top-tier competition at 145 pounds.
“Never. I will never fight Ilia,” Dvalishvili said on the Pound 4 Pound podcast. “Firstly, he’s my brother. I really love him. He’s really younger than me but he is smart and very good guy. Family guy and a good friend of mine. Will never fight him. I did sparring with him and he destroy me. He’s stronger than me. I’m not afraid to fight but Ilia is my friend, Georgian, and I will never fight him. And I’m very comfortable in my weight class here at 135 .
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