Merab Dvalishvili is in Spain at the moment. After a tough to Petr Yan at UFC 323, the former bantamweight champion traveled to Spain to visit his Georgian compatriot Ilia Topuria for some much-needed downtime. But even with all the fun, they kept the competitive spirit alive. During a shared training session, ‘The Machine’ and ‘El Matador’ unloaded some devastating punches on a scoring machine. Despite being two weight classes apart, both men pulled the same numbers on the machine, leaving the fans genuinely stunned.

Before fighting Petr Yan at UFC 323, Merab revealed his post-fight plans, which included vacations at two separate locations. First, he planned to spend time with Mark Zuckerberg in Hawaii before heading to Spain to connect with the Topuria brothers. Well, the Georgian former champ’s first plan now seems to be on hold. Still, he has turned plenty of heads by going toe to toe with the lightweight champion on a scoring machine.

Merab Dvalishvili nearly matches Ilia Topuria’s score while smashing the punching bag

“👀💪Ilia Topuria and Merab both hit the punching machine and get huge scores. Topuria – 2801. Merab – 2507,” Popular MMA social media account Home of Fight posted on X. That’s definitely highly impressive. As UFC fans, we are all aware of Ilia Topuria’s power, especially after he knocked out three legends, Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Charles Oliveira, back-to-back. However, Merab Dvalishvili scoring only 300 less than the lightweight champion speaks volumes about how much he has improved his overall power.

But the two MMA superstars did not just punch a scoring machine. ‘El Matador’ and ‘The Machine’ also shared some light sparring sessions, testing each other’s boxing skills, with the videos flooding social media. Along with that, the Georgian native shared several pictures and clips of them riding expensive vehicles through the streets of Madrid, showing that Merab’s UFC 323 recovery is indeed going well.

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Still, even after showing he can hang with the likes of the lightweight champion himself, the former UFC bantamweight champ also revealed two fighters he would never share the Octagon with.

‘The Machine’ reveals two fighters he cannot beat  

UFC fans know Merab Dvalishvili as an anyone, anywhere, anytime type of fighter because he has never backed down from a challenge. However, it seems the Georgian also has a limit when it comes to accepting one. ‘The Machine,’ during his championship reign, dominated and dismantled many opponents, but Merab does not believe he could do the same against Aljamain Sterling and Ilia Topuria.

“Ilia Topuria and Aljamain Sterling are two of the top fighters I have ever seen, and they’re my friends. Everybody else on the planet I could find a way to win. But those two guys, I don’t know,” the former 135 lbs king told Bloody Elbow.

Merab Dvalishvili has praised these two fighters countless times. ‘Funkmaster’ has been a crucial part of the Georgian former champ’s team, and they have built a relationship that goes beyond acquaintanceship into brotherhood. So, it’s understandable why he speaks about them in such high regard. Still, many fans would give ‘The Machine’ an edge in a matchup with Sterling, based on the opponents he has beaten so far.

However, when it comes to Merab facing Topuria, things could change a bit. The 34-year-old ex-champ has already revealed that his fellow Georgian native dropped him a couple of times during training sessions. Because of that reason, it would not be a stretch to imagine a similar scenario unfolding if they ever shared the Octagon, especially given the clear size difference.

That said, these are definitely fights Merab Dvalishvili will not have in the future. A fight he would look forward to, though, is a rematch with Petr Yan after losing the bantamweight title at the T-Mobile Arena. So, as ‘The Machine’ recharges after a busy 2025, do you think he comes back in 2026 and wins the title back? Let us know in the comments section below.