Arman Tsarukyan and Merab Dvalishvili engaged in a playful social media exchange about wrestling. When Dvalishvili claimed he would beat Tsarukyan in wrestling, Arman asked about his weight, to which Merab responded 70 kg. Tsarukyan confirmed he also weighs around 70 kg and jokingly stated he could defeat Dvalishvili 10-7 in a wrestling match. The lighthearted back-and-forth highlights the competitive banter between the two fighters from different divisions.
Arman Tsarukyan and Merab Dvalishvili took their competitive rivalry off the canvas and onto social media this week, trading playful barbs about who would come out on top in a hypothetical wrestling match.
The exchange began when Dvalishvili declared he would beat Tsarukyan in a wrestling contest. Tsarukyan responded by asking about his weight, and when Dvalishvili confirmed he comes in at 70 kg, the lightweight contender noted he walks around at a similar weight and fired back that he would beat Dvalishvili by a score of 10-7.
Tsarukyan, 29, is currently ranked number one in the UFC lightweight division and carries a record of 23-3-0. Fighting out of American Top Team, the Russian fighter stands five-foot-seven with a 72-inch reach and has built his reputation on a well-rounded game that includes 3.26 takedowns per 15 minutes and a striking accuracy of 50 percent.
Dvalishvili, known as The Machine, sits at the opposite end of the weight scale. The 35-year-old Georgian is ranked first in the bantamweight division and second in the pound-for-pound rankings, carrying a record of 21-5-0 with the Serra-Longo Fight Team. Standing five-foot-six with a 68-inch reach, he is one of the most relentless wrestlers in the sport, averaging an elite 6.4 takedown attempts per 15 minutes.
Why it matters
- Tsarukyan and Dvalishvili compete in different divisions, making an official matchup essentially impossible without a weight-class move by one fighter
- Both men hold the number one contender spot in their respective divisions, giving the banter an extra layer of competitive edge
- Dvalishvili's wrestling credentials are among the best in the UFC, making Tsarukyan's confident 10-7 claim the sharpest part of the exchange
