Merab Dvalishvili has shown just how much he wants to fight at the UFC’s White House event.
Names continue to get thrown into the hat for the UFC’s planned celebration of 250 years of American independence next year, with bantamweight king Dvalishvili becoming the latest to express his interest.
Ever since president Donald Trump announced plans to stage UFC fights on the White House lawn, a host of big-name fighters have been calling to headline. Amid Jon Jones and Conor McGregor’s pleas, Ilia Topuria is confident of main-eventing at the White House.
Dvalishvili, though, is not vying for the top spot on the high-profile lineup.
Merab Dvalishvili would fight on the prelims if it meant a White House appearance
The Georgian standout is fast approaching his third fight of 2025. To defend his title successfully for the third time, Dvalishvili must defeat Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320.
Although his focus is on the difficult challenge ahead in Las Vegas on October 4, ‘The Machine’ recently looked ahead to the future and pinpointed a 2026 event he is desperate to fight at.
So much so, Dvalishvili would accept a spot much further down the card than he is used to.
“I would love to fight (at the White House),” Dvalishvili said during a media scrum ahead of UFC 320.
“Even if I’m the first fight on the prelims, I will be happy. I have no problem with that because I know Ilia wants to fight there, McGregor wants to fight there, Jon Jones wants to fight there.”
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Humble Merab Dvalishvili ranks himself below three other stars on the UFC’s pound-for-pound list
Fans won’t be surprised by the bantamweight champ’s humility when it comes to the White House lineup.
Dvalishvili was previously praised for his humility when choosing where he should rank in the pound-for-pound pecking order.
In addition to putting himself below Topuria and Islam Makhachev, the Georgian also gave the nod to Alexandre Pantoja for the final spot in the top three.
“Right now, I will say Ilia, number one,” Dvalishvili said on The Ariel Helwani Show. “Who does this? I mean, he’s undefeated and how he wins the last three fights and (is a) two division champion.
“Number two, Islam. I will say number three, Pantoja.
“Number four is good (for me),” Dvalishvili continued. “I have to be [humble] because I don’t wanna overlook my opponents.”