“He’s insane… The guy’s a freak. When he gets in the ring, no one can match his cardio. No one can match his pace. He melts the greatest of the greats.” Months ago, speaking about Merab Dvalishvili, Joe Rogan gave a heads-up. Days before, the Georgian tapped out rival Sean O’Malley during their rematch. A Daniel Cormier footnote validated Rogan’s observations. “The next day, Daniel Cormier went to visit Merab after he won the title and beat Sean O’Malley; he’s already out running. He doesn’t stop.”

‘The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in battle.’ Perhaps no fighter personifies that adage better than Merab Dvalishvili. There’s a reason why he’s called ‘The Machine.’ Especially in light of the latest revelations, to call him an incredible force of nature would be an understatement. At the UFC 320 co-main, Dvalishvili took Cory Sandhagen the whole distance and effectively tied the record for the most consecutive UFC bantamweight title defenses. So to prepare for the battle, he followed a routine. However, what Dvalishvili considers regular has left many shocked. One needs to hear fellow stablemates Aljamain Sterling‘s and Khalil Rountree Jr.‘s versions.

Merab Dvalishvili: Inside his insane sparring routine

Coming across an ESPN post that featured Rountree Jr.’s recent comment on the JAXXON Podcast, Sterling laughed off the shock, claiming this has long been their way of warming up. For them, it’s the fight after the fight, before the fight. “We’ve been saying this is how we warm up on fight day for years. Some people are finally opening their ears! 😂 It’s the fight after the fight, before the fight. (Weight cut, shake out, fight!) 😁,” he wrote.

So during the interview, Bear Degidio had asked Khalil Rountree Jr., “We saw you training in many videos right near Merab. Kind of break down a little bit to me how good Merab is in the gym compared to his phenomenal fight we just saw.” Fighting on the same card, ‘The War Horse’ unfortunately suffered a setback when Jiri Prochazka KO’ed him in the third round.

Still, despite his own reversal, he had nothing but admiration for his champion stablemate. “You know, Merab in the gym, it’s—it’s really hard to say that he’s any different in the gym than he is in the cage,” he said, before revealing, “I promise you this is a 100% true story. At 12:00 in the afternoon on fight day, Saturday, October 4th, Merab sparred five rounds in the cage live on the day of his fight because that’s just who he is.”

Bear Degidio was clearly perplexed by the admission.

Taking his fight game to the next level

So Rountree Jr. explained, “Merab sparred five full, live rounds at noon, just hours before his actual fight.” Merab Dvalishvili’s first two fights in UFC ended in defeats. However, putting the past behind him, he completely turned over his career and became a bantamweight title holder. He’s currently on a 14-win streak. And considering the divisional lineup, it’s unlikely his throne faces any threat, at least anytime soon.

Joe Rogan, who had labeled Dvalishvili “insane,” uploaded the ESPN post on his Instagram Story.

From callouts seeking scientific study on Merab Dvalishvili to jokes about a Tour de France tryout or even a marathon, comments flooded the post. Speculations about his next fixture are rife. As far as Dvalishvili is concerned, he wants to remain busy. During the post-fight interview, he hinted at a rematch with former champion Petr Yan. “I think Petr Yan looked good, and he’s ready,” he stated while speaking with Joe Rogan.

Who, in your opinion, should Merab Dvalishvili fight next?