Merab Dvalishvili may have too much love for Alexander Volkanovski to actively call him out, but if the UFC were to offer him the champion vs. champion fight … he’d take it.
That’s what the dominant bantamweight
champ is saying after previous comments had fans accusing him “The Machine” of ducking the one opponent that could challenge him.
“Look, I don’t want to challenge him because I have so much respect for the great champion Alex Volkanovski,” Dvalishvili told Bloody Elbow. “I just want to focus on my weight class and I don’t want to be disrespectful by challenging or mentioning his name.”
While we’re all down for champions sticking around and taking on all comers at their own weight class, Dvalishvili has almost lapped the entire roster of 135 pound contenders and is set to fight Petr Yan for the second time. Their first fight was … not competitive. If his UFC 323 fight on December 6th is equally dominant, the UFC will have to get creative to keep people interested.
And according to Merab, all they gotta do to make a Volk fight is tell him that’s what’s next.
“If it becomes a thing where the UFC asks me to do this fight?” he said. “Listen. I’m a fighter, I will show up and I will fight. Usually, UFC sends me a contract, ‘You fight this guy,’ and boom, that’s it. So if you ask me, I don’t want to challenge him or call him out, but if they want it then I am ready for it.”
The UFC is moving broadcast homes from ESPN to Paramount / CBS at the start of 2026. Some fans are worried that the promotion will rest on its laurels now that the PPV model is disappearing but with subscribers needed to justify a $7.7 billion deal, it’s just as likely that UFC will take their foot off the brake and string together a bunch of big fights.
Dvalishvili vs. Volkanovski? That’s the best fighting the best, and isn’t that what UFC is all about?
