It looks like UFC stars do not want to fight human opponents anymore inside the cage. Don’t know what we are talking about? Well, there is a wild hypothesis! A social media challenge has taken social media (and the UFC sphere) by storm. What would happen if 100 men went toe to toe at the same time against a single silverback gorilla? As with any trend, this viral question has seen many fighters stepping forward and giving their views and ultimately choosing their sides. 

In fact, UFC stars like Cory Sandhagen, Jamahal Hill, and Bo Nickal have given their theories on how they would defeat a Gorilla. While guys like Conor McGregor, who has a gorilla tattoo etched on his chest, interestingly spoke from the point of view of the gorilla’s side on X, “On behalf of gorillas, I’d smoke a 100 easy.”

And the latest star to jump onto the gorilla bandwagon is none other than reigning bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili. In a recent interview, the Georgian’s answer is going viral. This response was shared by MMA media outlet Freak MMA, who posted a hilarious AI image of ‘The Machine’ trying to take down a huge silverback gorilla and captioned the post:

“Merab firmly believes he’d beat a gorilla in a fight, and he’s not joking. No cage, no rules, just Merab vs. beast… and he’s betting on himself every time. “1 gorilla? That’s easy, bro. I’m smart, I’m strong, I’m training every day. Shoot, take him down, easy. I think I can take 1 gorilla.”

Not only is the bantamweight champion prepared, but he has an infallible plan. Dvalishvili began taking off his clothes in the video as he stated, “I’m gonna take my t-shirts off, my pants off.. Don’t worry. Don’t worry.” So, what’s the plan? The reigning kingpin plans to utilise his intensive wrestling to take the 500lbs animal down. And naturally, the fighting world had a lot to say about this outrageous claim. 

Fans reacted to Merab Dvalishvili’s bold plan on taking down a gorilla

One follower commented, “Merab will drag the beast to deep waters,” while another said, “Merab will d-e but he will get a takedown first.” These comments are not surprising considering ‘The Machine’ spawns takedowns like Mario hitting the coin brick. Moreover, he also holds the record for the most successful takedowns in UFC history at 92.

The way Dvalishvili demonstrated in the video—opening his clothes and then showing his shoot and takedown with an inside trip technique—it seemed like he was determined to fight a gorilla ASAP! One fan taunted the Georgian UFC star and said, “By decision?” The 19-4 star has indeed won 11 of his UFC fights via unanimous decision and one by TKO. Another follower said, “Fight IQ is something different than IQ, I guess.”

One netizen echoed the sentiment about his high number of decision wins and added, “Merab wins by decision.” There’s been an ongoing debate online since Dvalishvili’s title win at UFC 306, with some calling his grappling-heavy style boring. Grappling-heavy fighters holding UFC straps hasn’t sat well with certain fans, as @joshzele wrote, “The UFC is going to a dark place with all these boring champions. I’m not a hardcore fan, give me s–t if you want. But watching Merab or Belal [Muhammad] just do groundwork with no real attempt at a submission is tough to watch. I believe a lot of people agree.”

One follower remarked, “Gorilla has good striking, but nobody checks the grappling,” which is a nod to Islam Makhachev’s famous reply when he was asked about fighting a kangaroo during a UFC interview. Another fan took a jab, writing, “Can’t even finish any opponents, so how are you supposed to finish a gorilla?” A UFC buff even commented, “Delusional, he’ll get his tiny head chopped off in seconds.”

While it’s hilarious to imagine this scenario playing out like something straight out of the Planet of the Apes series, it does beg the question: could it ever happen in real life? Which team are you on—Humans or Gorillas? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!