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When warming up backstage and preparing for a fight, you’d usually want light movement drills to break a sweat and get that heart rate going. But not Merab Dvalishvili, who continues to live up to his nickname, ‘The Machine.’
Merab Dvalishvili’s coach reveals full-blown locker room fight with Aljamain Sterling at UFC 298
Over the weekend at UFC 298, Merab Dvalishvili was slated for the most significant fight of his career against former double-champ and Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo. The 33-year-old Georgian emerged victorious via a dominant unanimous decision to pick up his tenth straight win, putting him in front of the line of title contenders.
But apparently, the Cejudo fight was his second three-rounder for that evening.
Here’s coach Ray Longo sharing how Merab Dvalishvili and close training partner Aljamain Sterling went at it for three five-minute rounds in the locker room, swinging four-ounce gloves at each other.
“I’m gonna tell you something, guys do a shake out before a fight. He literally fought Aljo three rounds. F—ng brutal. Little gloves, swinging for the f—ng fences,” Longo said on the Anik & Florian podcast.
“Aljo complains about my boxing class sometimes. That was way worse, what I just saw. They went at it three (five-minute rounds), so (against Cejudo) was his second fight of the night.”
In this day and age, there would usually be a ‘videos or didn’t happen’ rebuttal. But Longo swears by it and even named witnesses.
“That’s a fact, that’s not even made up. You could check with (Syndicate MMA head coach) John Wood. You could check with Aljo. Full-blown f—ng fight.”
Merab and Aljo confirm locker room fisticuffs
‘The Funkmaster’ posted a recent video on his YouTube channel, sharing how his Saturday went as a cornerman for Merab Dvalishvili.
Sterling said the sparring sessions earlier that day were already brutal enough. He recalled going three hard rounds where he had to squat down to match Merab’s height.
“He punched me in my eyeball one time, punched me in the back of my head. He did something to my kneecap.
“I was in a fight. I felt afterwards I was in a fight.”
Then, there was Part Two when they got to the Honda Center.
“We get to the arena, and it happens all over again. Then he says, ‘OK, I think I’m good.’ So I sit down, and I (breathe). I take my mouthpiece out, I’m relaxing…
“I’m chilling ‘cause I finally get to relax. Nah. Literally 30 seconds later, ‘OK, maybe we go some more.’ I was like, ‘Yo, bro…’
“I look at the guys, I’m just, like, ‘Damn, what are you guys here for? It’s just me getting my ass kicked the entire time.’”
For Merab Dvalishvili, it’s all in a day’s work.
“That’s how we warm up,” he said on The MMA Hour. “I like to warm up good.
“But yeah, we are best friends and training partners. We beat each other [up] and make each other better. Then we are ready for anybody else.”
What does Merab Dvalishvili want next?
If you can fight at a pace that Merab does, you would want a more significant challenge than the three-rounders he has in the cage and the locker room. Here’s what he told Joe Rogan during the Octagon interview.
“Three rounds is nothing for me. I want a ten-round fight!” Dvalishvili said. “Where’s the champion? Bring him here right now!”
Sean O’Malley, of course, has his rematch with Chito Vera at UFC 299 to worry about, and that’s where his sole focus is now. And this time, the stakes are much higher.
As for Merab, he ended UFC 298 with an improved record of 17-4.