Merab Dvalishvili offered his prediction for a potential fight between Ilia Topuria and Arman Tsarukyan, stating that Topuria would defeat Tsarukyan by knockout. Dvalishvili believes Tsarukyan would be unable to take Topuria down and would fall when attempting to box with him. He praised Tsarukyan as a wonderful fighter but expressed confidence in Topuria's striking superiority. Dvalishvili also reflected on his own fight with Petr Yan, noting that Yan was the only opponent who could have beaten him that night due to Yan's special style and painful body kicks. He described having to rush forward into strikes because the pain from Yan's kicks was too severe to allow him to escape.
Merab Dvalishvili has gone on record backing Ilia Topuria to stop Arman Tsarukyan by knockout if the two ever share the octagon, offering a candid breakdown of why he believes the Georgian-Spanish star holds a decisive edge.
Dvalishvili, 35, is the number-one ranked bantamweight contender out of Georgia with a 21-5 record and one of the busiest wrestling attacks in the sport, averaging 6.4 takedowns per 15 minutes for the Serra-Longo Fight Team. Despite competing in a different division, he knows Topuria well and offered a clear-eyed assessment: Tsarukyan would be unable to secure takedowns against Topuria, and the moment the fight turns into a boxing match, Topuria's power ends it.
Topuria, 29, holds a 17-1 record and currently sits at number two in the lightweight division while holding the pound-for-pound number-one ranking. The Spaniard, standing 170 cm with a 175 cm reach, lands 4.81 significant strikes per minute at 48 percent accuracy — numbers that back up Dvalishvili's confidence in his striking superiority.
Dvalishvili also opened up about his own experience against Petr Yan, describing the Russian bantamweight champion as the one opponent capable of beating him that night. He explained that Yan's distinctive style and punishing body kicks created a specific problem — the pain was so intense that retreating was not an option, forcing Dvalishvili to drive forward directly into incoming shots. Yan, 33, averages 5.12 significant strikes per minute with a striking accuracy of 54 percent, figures that illustrate why his output proved so difficult to manage.
Why it matters
- A potential Topuria vs. Tsarukyan fight would carry major lightweight title implications
- Dvalishvili's analysis frames Topuria's takedown defense and punching power as the decisive factors
- His Yan comments highlight how a single stylistic wrinkle can neutralize even elite game plans
