Merab Dvalishvili shared his prediction for a potential fight between Ilia Topuria and Arman Tsarukyan. While stating he likes Tsarukyan and considers him a great fighter, Merab believes Topuria will defeat him. Dvalishvili predicts that Tsarukyan won't be able to take Topuria down and will get knocked out when he tries to box with the Georgian champion. In the same discussion, Merab reflected on his fight with Petr Yan, saying Yan was the only fighter he couldn't have beaten that day because of Yan's special preparation and painful body kicks. He described the pain from Yan's second body kick as so intense that he had to pressure forward rather than retreat.
Merab Dvalishvili has gone on record backing his Georgian countryman Ilia Topuria to finish Arman Tsarukyan if the two ever meet inside the octagon, predicting a knockout victory for the lightweight champion.
Dvalishvili, the number-one ranked bantamweight at 35 years old, carries a 21-5 record and is one of the most relentless wrestlers in the sport, averaging 6.4 takedowns per 15 minutes. Fighting out of the Serra-Longo Fight Team, the Georgian known as "The Machine" made clear he respects Tsarukyan as a fighter but sees only one outcome if the matchup materialises.
Topuria, the pound-for-pound number-one fighter in the world, holds a 17-1 record and currently sits ranked second in the lightweight division. The 29-year-old Spaniard known as "El Matador" lands 4.81 significant strikes per minute at 48 percent accuracy and has demonstrated consistent grappling output with nearly two takedowns per 15 minutes. Dvalishvili argued that Tsarukyan will be unable to take Topuria down, and the moment Tsarukyan chooses to exchange on the feet, the Georgian champion will put him away.
In the same conversation, Dvalishvili turned to his own history, specifically his loss to Petr Yan. He described Yan as the one opponent he simply could not have defeated on that particular night, crediting Yan's specific preparation and the damage inflicted by his body kicks. Yan, now the bantamweight champion with a 20-5 record, lands 5.12 significant strikes per minute at a sharp 54 percent accuracy, making him one of the more precise strikers in the division. Dvalishvili recalled the pain from Yan's second body kick being so severe that he was forced to press forward rather than step back, effectively taking away his own movement as a defensive option.
Why it matters
- Topuria's path at lightweight runs directly through the top contenders, with Tsarukyan among the most credible threats
- Dvalishvili's assessment adds a camp-adjacent perspective on how Topuria's grappling neutralises wrestler-heavy opponents
- His candid reflection on the Yan loss offers rare insight into how a single targeted technique shaped the outcome of a high-stakes bantamweight fight
