Merab Dvalishvili has mostly cleared the bantamweight division, but he is more interested in going on the victory lap than becoming a “champion champion.”
Georgian Star recorded his third straight successful defense against his 135-pound title on Saturday, making an unanimous decision over Cory Sandhagen at the UFC 320 Co-Main event. This is a stretch that includes victory over many of the current competitor lines, which is Dvalishvili’s 14th consecutive wins.
So why aren’t you thinking about featherweight moves and potential superfights with Alexander Volkanovsky?
“This is my division,” Dvalishvili said at an evening postwar press conference. “I’m comfortable here. I don’t want to be without an invitation, so I don’t want to give it a try and mess up. If I show up at my wedding tomorrow (Aljaman Sterling’s) I’ll crush his face, we’re mad. … I’m comfortable here.
“I don’t want to fight all these people, especially my brothers Alhaman Sterling, Volkanovsky, I don’t want to fight these people. I’m fine here. I don’t know.
Dvalishvili was waiting for Sterling to step into the photos of the Bantamweight Championship as he held that title in 2021-2023. Moreover, as far as he is concerned, he still has a long way to go to establish his legacy at 135 pounds.
Hearing that UFC CEO Dana White calls him the biggest bantamweight ever, Dvalishvili’s plans and perspectives have not changed.
“Of course, I’m happy to hear from my boss,” Dvalishvili said. “I thank him, even if I don’t agree with it. I mean, I don’t know about it. But Dana White says this kind of word to me, it means a lot to me and I am grateful to the UFC and Dana White.
I asked what he thinks he has to do to assert an indisputable goat status in his department, Dovalisiri is not sure, but he likes the idea that he is in that conversation at least when his career is over.
“I have two brothers,” Dvalishvili said. “My second brother, he was a 17-year pilot of the Georgian Army, one of the helicopters. They have the following expression:
“So I’m a fighter. I’m not going to say I’m a goat. I’ll keep getting better, I keep landing, I keep shattering. This must be humble, otherwise I’ll be humble if you’re cheeky. But now, I’m still a student in this game so I don’t consider myself a goat.”