Dvalishvili celebrated his bantamweight title win by getting up close and personal with ‘Fiona’ backstage.
Merab Dvalishvili and Ailin Perez is the crossover we never knew we always needed.
‘The Machine’ secured the biggest win of his career at UFC 306 over the weekend, delivering a dominant performance against ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley to claim the bantamweight division’s top prize. Shortly after, Dvalishvili embarked on a celebration tour of sorts backstage. First, he engaged in a dance-off with another big winner inside Sphere—Valentina Shevchenko.
Then, the Georgian got a little more than he bargained for via women’s bantamweight standout Ailin Perez.
Perez, who is probably better known for her celebratory post-fight twerking than her solid 10-2 record, offered Dvalishvili the opportunity to get an up close and personal look at her unique skill set following his title-winning performance in Las Vegas.
Needless to say, fans had a variety of hilarious reactions to the unlikely pairing and Dvalishvili’s eager participation.
“Man even took his shirt off for it.”
“Bro he was ready to go.”
“I’m surprised he didn’t take the pants off too.”
“She better pack a lunch. Bro has some cardio.”
“My apologies, Merab. I wasn’t familiar with your game.”
“Both of them danced in different styles…”
“Champ era.”
Merab Dvalishvili Back Tracks on Umar Nurmagomedov Comments
Extending his unbeaten streak to 11, Dvalishvili will now turn his attention toward his first defense of the bantamweight belt. Though it’s far too soon for the UFC to make any official announcements, all signs point toward ‘The Machine’ putting his title on the line against undefeated sensation Umar Nurmagomedov.
The 18-0 fighter out of Dagestan moved into the No. 2 spot in the bantamweight rankings earlier this year with a dominant decision victory over Cory Sandhagen in Abu Dhabi.
Initially, Dvalishvili dismissed the idea of facing Nurmagomedov, but ‘The Machine’ has since back-tracked on his comments, making it clear that he’s willing to fight anyone the promotion puts in front of him whether or not he feels they deserve the opportunity.
“Guys- I hear all of you!” Dvalishvili wrote on X. “I am a company man. Whoever the UFC puts in front of me, I will fight as I always do, even if I don’t think they deserve the next shot. Let’s Go.”
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