Arman Tsarukyan jokingly proposed a wrestling match with Merab Dvalishvili and claimed he could defeat him 10-7. The exchange began when Merab told Tsarukyan he would beat him in wrestling. After confirming both fighters weigh around 70 kg, Tsarukyan suggested the hypothetical matchup. The exchange appears to be lighthearted banter between the two fighters on social media. No formal bout has been discussed.
Arman Tsarukyan and Merab Dvalishvili engaged in a bout of lighthearted social media sparring on April 22, with the lightweight contender jokingly challenging the bantamweight star to a wrestling match and claiming he would win it ten bouts to seven.
The exchange was sparked when Dvalishvili told Tsarukyan he would beat him on the wrestling mat. Tsarukyan pushed back, and after both men acknowledged they compete at roughly 70 kilograms, the Russian proposed the hypothetical head-to-head. The tone throughout was clearly playful, with no formal competition or bout of any kind under discussion.
Tsarukyan, 29, carries a 23-3-0 record and holds the number-one contender spot in the UFC lightweight division. Trained out of American Top Team, the Russian stands five-foot-seven with a 72-inch reach and lands strikes at a 50 percent accuracy clip, among the sharper figures in the division. He also averages 3.26 takedowns per 15 minutes, giving him a credible enough grappling base to back up the trash talk.
Dvalishvili, nicknamed The Machine, is a 35-year-old Georgian fighter who sits first in the bantamweight rankings and second in the pound-for-pound standings with a 21-5-0 record. Competing out of the Serra-Longo Fight Team, he is widely regarded as one of the elite wrestlers in MMA, averaging a remarkable 6.4 takedowns per 15 minutes and relentlessly pressuring opponents throughout his bouts.
Why it matters
- The banter highlights two of the UFC's most active and decorated grapplers trading jabs across weight classes.
- Dvalishvili's wrestling credentials are among the best in the sport, making Tsarukyan's ten-to-seven claim the boldest part of the exchange.
- Both men sit at the top of their respective divisions, so any attention they generate keeps their names in the conversation ahead of future title shots.
