It’s been an extended highway for Merab Dvalishvili to develop into UFC bantamweight champion. The Georgian fighter has been toiling since 2014 as a professional in blended martial arts, and even when he joined the UFC in 2017 he needed to maintain his job in building to pay the payments.
In a brand new interview with Jake Shields, Dvalishvili revealed that it wasn’t till 2020 that he was in a position to give attention to his UFC profession full time, and that was solely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic shut the whole lot down.
“So I misplaced my first battle in UFC, and we all know how UFC pay It’s not effectively to start with,” Merab stated. “$10,000 and you continue to should pay your supervisor and a few bills. I purchase automotive. I used to be driving very previous automotive, after which no cash. In my second battle, I obtained bonus, however I take off, I cease working. However when my subsequent battle comes, I used to be broke once more as a result of I spent all this cash. And I’m like like, now what?”
“Once I win the subsequent one, I maintain this cash and I keep working,” he stated. “As a result of I don’t need [to be broke] once more.”
Dvalishvili stated there have been numerous bills ensuring his immigration papers stored shifting, which stored him returning to work. Earlier this 12 months he lastly grew to become a U.S. citizen and moved from New York to Las Vegas the place he trains with John Wooden at Syndicate MMA. He nonetheless has numerous loyalty to his New York Metropolis coaches Ray Longo and Matt Serra … however he prefers the visitors state of affairs in Vegas.
“Now that I’ve an excellent coaching in Vegas, I’ve so many coaching companions,” he stated. “I can go jujitsu. I can sparring, the MMA observe. So I reasonably do this.”
Regardless of dropping a largely one-sided contest to Dvalishvili at UC 306, Sean O’Malley remains to be making numerous noise about beating Merab. None of that bothers “The Machine,” although.
“I’m not mad or one thing. I can have enjoyable now. Make enjoyable with him,” he stated. “I might like to rematch with him. I feel it’s gonna be so subsequent time, I’ll end him. However how I beat him, I don’t even assume he’ll take a subsequent problem.”
For now he’s making ready for the subsequent primary contender, which is wanting like Umar Nurmagomedov.
“I feel the essentially the most deserving man is Figueiredo,” he reiterated. “However I suppose UFC desires to me battle Umar. All of the individuals, I see their feedback, all people desires me to battle Omar. So I’ll battle Omar.”
