Undefeated star Umar Nurmagomedov‘s last name is enough to let us know how good his camp is. Being the cousin of ‘The Eagle’, the 29-year-old has a pretty good team behind him. But is that the same for Merab Dvalishvili? Well, the reigning champion’s team will be the focus of this article as he puts his title up for grabs for the first time at UFC 311.

‘The Machine’s records and fighting skills have often urged the fighting community to wonder about the people who trained and cornered him. But did you know that the Georgian fighter trains in the United States? Here’s what we know about Dvalishvili’s training background.

All about Merab Dvalishvili’s coach

Merab Dvalishvili has some pretty well-known coaches in his camp, starting with Ray Longo, who is the head coach of the Serra-Longo Fight Team. The 66-year-old is considered to be one of the most loved and appreciated coaches in the MMA world. In 2015, Longo was nominated for the World MMA Awards ‘Coach of the Year’ honor. Being one of the top MMA coaches, Longo cornered and trained ‘The Machine’ to multiple victories with his striking prowess.

But it was Matt Serra, the former UFC welterweight champion, who trained Merab Dvalishvili in the art of jiu-jitsu. Serra has been a student of the honorable Renzo Gracie and received his black belt under his guidance. Now, the former UFC champ makes sure that he passes on Gracie’s legacy to the rising MMA stars.

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Ray Longo, meanwhile, earned praise from Dvalishvili when he fought for his first-ever MMA world title. “My coach Ray Longo is pushing to help me exceed my limits in cardio and striking. However, if fighting for a title or not, I am always training my best to be prepared for any fight,” the reigning UFC bantamweight champion said a few years ago.

Apart from Dvalishvili, Serra and Longo have trained a few other strong fighters who have made their mark in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Let’s take a look at ‘The Machine’s teammates.

Merab Dvalishvili’s gym, Aljamain Sterling & teammates

Merab Dvalishvili moved to the United States when he turned 21, with dreams of becoming a professional MMA fighter. It is there that Dvalishvili found the guidance of Ray Longo and Matt Serra and trained at Serra BJJ gym. Aljamain Sterling, Chris Weidman, and Al Laquinta are the three fighters from Serra BJJ who have established themselves in the fighting realm, and they are the Georgian star’s teammates.

There’s no doubt that Merab Dvalishvili was pretty happy to be able to train with such phenomenal fighters. He once said, “I am very appreciative of my team who is like family, and all the support they give me, especially my coaches Ray Longo, Matt Serra, Pete Sell, and Chris Weidman. I am also grateful to my friends who are training and sparring with me Al Iaquinta, Aljamain Sterling, James Jenkins, Patrick Defranco, James Gonzales, and Anthony Genovese.”

But how did it all start for the bantamweight champion? Let’s take a look at that front.

How did Merab Dvalishvili start fighting?

As we’ve mentioned already, Merab Dvalishvili’s primary aim for his move to the States was to be an MMA fighter. Growing up in independent Georgia, ‘The Machine’ trained in multiple combat sports disciplines before making the move to the West, especially in Qartuli Chidaoba, which is a traditional form of wrestling originating in Georgia, and then Khridoli, Sambo, and Judo.

But soon, Dvalishvili stepped into the realm of mixed martial arts. “I started training in 2010 because I love to fight. I did Judo/Sambo for seven years before transitioning to MMA,” the bantamweight champion told the UFC. Despite being a relatively late bloomer in mixed martial arts, ‘The Machine’ has carved a pretty awesome career for himself.

It will be interesting to see if all this training and help from his coaches and teammates can help Merab match up to Umar Nurmagomedov’s preparation since a win over the Dagestan native can place ‘The Machine’ on a different level. He is the underdog in this fight after all so let us know what you think in the comments down below.