Armenian lightweight Arman Tsarukyan playfully proposed a wrestling match with Georgian bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili. During their exchange, Dvalishvili claimed he would beat Tsarukyan in a wrestling match, to which Arman asked about weight. Both fighters confirmed they walk around at approximately 70 kg (154 lbs). Tsarukyan confidently stated he could defeat Dvalishvili 10-7 in a wrestling bout. The lighthearted callout appears to be friendly banter between two fighters from neighboring Caucasus nations rather than a serious challenge.
Arman Tsarukyan and Merab Dvalishvili sparked some lighthearted cross-divisional banter on April 22, with the lightweight contender playfully calling out the bantamweight champion to a wrestling match.
The exchange began when Dvalishvili claimed he would beat Tsarukyan in a wrestling bout. Tsarukyan fired back by asking about the weight, and after both men confirmed they walk around at roughly 70 kg (154 lbs), the Armenian fighter declared he would defeat Dvalishvili by a score of 10-7. The whole exchange carried the tone of friendly ribbing between two fighters from neighboring Caucasus nations rather than any genuine competitive challenge.
Tsarukyan, 29, competes out of American Top Team and enters the conversation as the number-one ranked lightweight contender with a record of 23-3-0. Standing five-foot-seven with a 72-inch reach, he lands 3.85 significant strikes per minute at a 50 percent accuracy rate and averages 3.26 takedowns per 15 minutes, making him a legitimate grappling threat at 155 pounds.
Dvalishvili, nicknamed The Machine, is the reigning UFC bantamweight champion and the number-two pound-for-pound fighter on the roster. The 35-year-old Georgian carries a record of 21-5-0 and trains out of Serra-Longo Fight Team. His wrestling pedigree is well documented in the numbers — he averages a remarkable 6.4 takedowns per 15 minutes, one of the highest rates in the organization.
Why it matters
- Tsarukyan's willingness to invite a wrestling comparison with Dvalishvili underscores growing confidence in his own grappling game heading into a potential title shot at lightweight.
- Dvalishvili's elite takedown average of 6.4 per 15 minutes makes the wrestling hypothetical genuinely interesting, even in jest.
- The exchange highlights a broader camaraderie among fighters from the Caucasus region competing at the top of the UFC rankings.
