The UFC has a few stars on its roster at the moment, and with the big ones like Jon Jones and Conor McGregor being inactive, the onus is on them to keep Dana White and Co.’s plans running. But the problem is that even those fighters do not fight as often as the fans would want them to. Thankfully, the promotion has got Merab Dvalishvili, who’s been one of the most active champions in recent times.

Apart from champions, there have been a few contenders as well, who’ve been stepping up for the UFC with ridiculously quick turnarounds. Fighters like Joshua Van and a former ONE double champion Reinier de Ridder have also stepped up for the UFC, which, according to Luke Thomas, warrants special treatment from Dana White and Co. Here’s what he had to say.

Merab Dvalishvili and Reinier de Ridder have received praise for their activity

Merab Dvalishvili and Reinier de Ridder may not be the biggest stars in the UFC, but their relentless dedication to the promotion has not gone unnoticed. MMA insider Luke Thomas praised the two fighters, including Joshua Van, and was surprised to see how many fights they’ve been taking in under a year’s time. “This will be his [de Ridder’s] fourth fight [in 2025], right? Of course, Mera will have his fourth. Josh[ua] Van will have his fourth in that 323 card,” Thomas told Submission Radio.

There has been an issue with reliability in recent years, and the UFC is often hesitant to place all its chips on a particular fighter. Take Khamzat Chimaev, for example. The Chechen star’s slow activity led many people to wonder if his title win would stagnate the middleweight division. We are yet to find that out, but Luke Thomas claims that those who step up should be getting favors from Dana White because cutting weight multiple times in a relatively short period is the hardest of tasks for UFC fighters.

“You are getting guys who are really putting together hot runs and trying to make a big push. I think that they would reward that cutting weight four times in a year like that,” Thomas added. “That’s a lot for RDR… He fought at 205. You know, this is a big cut… He’s doing it anywhere they ask him to go. I think if you can give them enough of a reason with that as your context, they’ll reward it.”

While Reinier de Ridder is gearing up for his next fight this weekend against Brendan Allen, Merab Dvalishvili recently came out to she some words on his fighting career. He claims to love fighting, which is one reason why he’s so active, and claims that he wants to fight until he hits 50.

Dvalishvili wants to fight until he’s 50

There is no one quite like Merab Dvalishvili! The man can fight, and, at the same time, entertain fans with his antics. At 34, he’s still going strong, but some people believe that the end could be near. Well, they are wrong! During an interview with Helen Yee, Dvalishvili claimed that his story is nowhere near over. ‘The Machine’ is going to keep running until he hits the half-century mark in terms of his age.

“Yeah, I want to do my best. So, when I’m training, I do my best. When I’m fighting, I’m doing my best. But it’s MMA, you know, like it’s it always will come next guys, the best guys, and whatever,” said Merab Dvalishvili. “Of course, plan is to keep in my belt long as possible, but I don’t think it’s realistic to me stay 16 more years champion. I may lose belt, I may win again, I may lose again, but I want to fight until 50. That’s the goal.”

So, the real question is: will Dana White listen to the calls of Luke Thomas to reward the fighters he’s been able to rely on? That remains to be seen. For starters, Merab Dvalishvili has got his reward in the form of his first PPV main event at UFC 323, so now, we’ll have to wait and see how things pan out for Reinier de Ridder. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.