How UFC fan favourite Merab Dvalishvili could have been a rugby player
Many know Merab Dvalishvili as the loud, comedic, UFC Bantamweight champion, but a select few know the Georgian fighter once had dreams of playing rugby.
UFC
Don't miss out on the headlines from UFC. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Many know Merab Dvalishvili as the loud, comedic, UFC Bantamweight champion, but a select few know the Georgian fighter once had an idea to try being the next rugby star.
Video of the UFC star having a run around with rugby league icon Shaun Johnson made waves in Australia just weeks ago, and while it didn’t look like Dvalishvili had much experience, it wasn’t the first time he tried playing with the oval shaped ball.
“I tried to play rugby when I was little,” Dvalishvili said.
“It was too hard, too much technique and it’s a hard sport to play, especially if you are small.
“You have to be a big man.
“I realised I was doing wrestling better, and wasn’t doing well with rugby.”
While the 34-year-old admits his rugby career was short lived, “just a couple of days” to be exact, the 61 kilogram fighter has become a fan of the sport and found the experience with Johnson very rewarding.
Even making it a goal to head to Las Vegas to watch the Warriors take on Cronulla after what he hopes is a successful title defence at UFC 311 this weekend in Los Angeles.
“I love rugby and the players … it was a cool experience to work with somebody professional like he (Johnson) is,” Dvalishvili said.
“They have a game in Vegas, and I am going to try and go to the game and support them.”
Before heading to the NRL in Vegas, the current Bantamweight champion is touring Aussie shores as he is making his way to Sydney next month to watch some of his teammates fight at UFC 312.
Although never having fought in Australia, and being booked the month before the UFC’s return, Dvalishvili expressed interest in bringing a Bantamweight title fight to Australia in the near future.
Describing Australian fans as his “favourite people”, his appreciation for his supporters down under has risen since a run-in with a fan at a UFC event in December.
“I am very respectful of people but that guy tried to provocate me,” he said.
“If someone tries to provoke you and talks disrespectfully about your family, country and yourself, what are you going to try and do, you are going to fight him right?”
Putting his December altercation behind him, Dvalishvili has all sights set on his undefeated opponent for this weekend, Umar Nurmagomedov.
While openly respecting Nurmagomedov and his team, the Bantamweight champion feels his opponents’ rise to the top has been a lot easier than other contenders.
“It’s not right,” he said.
“He hasn’t earned it.”
Although Dvalishvili believes Nurmagomedov was “handed” a title shot, the animosity between the two has the Georgian fighter itching to get his hand raised on Sunday.
“He disrespected me on social media, and when I saw him in person he told me ‘what you going to do about it’,” Dvalishvili said.
“What I want to do about it, I want to fight him.
“I'm not going to fight him in the street, lobby, we will fight in the cage and he will find out.”
More Coverage
Originally published as How UFC fan favourite Merab Dvalishvili could have been a rugby player
Strange bedfellows: Whittaker’s secret weapon to the title
It was a cold call to Israel Adesanya’s coach Eugene Bareman which has turned two of the UFC’s biggest rivals into training partners, and now friends. And it could take Robert Whittaker back to the promised land.
Racism drama as UFC icon kicked off flight
Former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has questioned whether the airline saga was driven by racial or national bias.