Merab Dvalishvili shared his thoughts on several fighters and matchups. He praised Arman Tsarukyan as a wonderful fighter but predicted that Ilia Topuria will defeat him, stating that Tsarukyan won't be able to take Topuria down and will get knocked out when he tries to box with Ilia. Regarding his own loss to Petr Yan, Dvalishvili said he could have beaten everyone that day except Yan, noting that Yan specifically prepared for him and has a special style. He recalled the pain from Yan's body kicks being so severe that he had to rush forward into strikes because he couldn't run away. The post also mentions that Conor McGregor paid Lobov compensation for his contribution to Proper Twelve, with Lobov satisfied with the undisclosed amount.
Merab Dvalishvili has gone on record with a confident prediction for the lightweight title picture, asserting that Ilia Topuria will knock out Arman Tsarukyan when the two eventually meet.
Speaking in a recent interview, Dvalishvili — the number-one ranked bantamweight at 21-5-0 and currently the number-two fighter on the pound-for-pound rankings — offered praise for Tsarukyan before laying out why he believes the Armenian-Russian contender will fall short. Dvalishvili's core argument was straightforward: Tsarukyan will not be able to take Topuria down, and the moment he chooses to box instead, the knockout will come.
Topuria, the 29-year-old Spaniard ranked second at lightweight and sitting atop the pound-for-pound list at 17-1-0, carries a reputation as a devastating finisher. Operating out of an orthodox stance with a 69-inch reach and landing 4.81 significant strikes per minute at 48 percent accuracy, "El Matador" has the tools to make Dvalishvili's prediction credible on paper.
Dvalishvili, now 35 and fighting out of the Serra-Longo Fight Team, also reflected candidly on his own loss to Petr Yan. He acknowledged that Yan — the bantamweight champion with a 20-5-0 record — came specifically prepared for him and possesses a style that posed unique problems. Dvalishvili described the body kicks as so damaging that he was forced to rush forward into punches simply because retreating was not an option. He stopped short of making excuses, saying he felt capable of beating anyone else that night.
Yan, a 33-year-old switch-stance fighter from Russia, lands 5.12 significant strikes per minute at a division-leading 54 percent accuracy, numbers that help explain why Dvalishvili found the champion's output particularly difficult to manage.
Why it matters
- Dvalishvili's reading of the Topuria-Tsarukyan matchup adds insider perspective to one of the most anticipated lightweight bouts on the horizon.
- His frank admission about Yan's body-kick game offers a rare tactical window into the champion's blueprint for that fight.
- At number one in the bantamweight rankings, Dvalishvili's own divisional future remains closely tied to how the title picture at 135 pounds develops.
