Merab Dvalishvili stated that while he likes Arman Tsarukyan as a fighter, Ilia Topuria will defeat him. Dvalishvili believes Tsarukyan won't be able to take Topuria down and will get knocked out when he tries to box with him. Regarding his own fight with Petr Yan, Dvalishvili said he could have beaten anyone that day except Yan, praising Yan's unique style and preparation. He detailed how Yan's body kicks caused him significant pain, forcing him to pressure forward when he couldn't escape. Dvalishvili acknowledged Yan as a tough fighter who specifically prepared for their matchup.
Merab Dvalishvili has weighed in on the lightweight title picture, predicting that Ilia Topuria will knock out Arman Tsarukyan, while also reflecting candidly on his own defeat to bantamweight champion Petr Yan.
Dvalishvili, 35, holds a 21-5 record and sits as the number-one ranked bantamweight contender out of Georgia. Known for one of the most relentless wrestling games in the division — averaging 6.4 takedowns per 15 minutes — "The Machine" trains out of the Serra-Longo Fight Team and carries a pound-for-pound ranking of second in the world. Despite his elite grappling output, he acknowledged that Yan was simply on another level the night they fought, saying he felt he could have beaten almost anyone else that day. He described how Yan's body kicks inflicted serious pain and forced him to keep pressing forward with no way to escape, and credited Yan for arriving with a specific game plan tailored to that matchup.
Yan, the current bantamweight champion, is 33 years old and fights out of Russia. He carries a 20-5 record and lands 5.12 significant strikes per minute at a 54 percent accuracy rate, fighting out of a switch stance that adds unpredictability to his offense.
On the lightweight picture, Dvalishvili expressed genuine respect for Arman Tsarukyan but was firm in his assessment: Topuria wins. He argued that Tsarukyan will not be able to take Topuria down, and that any attempt to engage in a straight boxing match will end badly for the Armenian contender. Topuria, ranked second at lightweight and first in the pound-for-pound rankings at just 29 years old, carries a 17-1 record and averages 4.81 significant strikes per minute for Spain's Climent Club. Standing five-foot-seven with a 69-inch reach, "El Matador" has shown the kind of finishing power that Dvalishvili believes will prove decisive.
Why it matters
- Dvalishvili's assessment adds high-profile voice to the Topuria-Tsarukyan lightweight title conversation
- His candid breakdown of the Yan loss underlines how difficult a rematch path back to bantamweight gold could be
- Yan's style being singled out as uniquely difficult reinforces the champion's status as a dangerous title holder
