Merab Dvalishvili has built a reputation on doing the uncomfortable. But according to the former bantamweight champion, one of his boldest moves never made it past the warm-up room!

In late December, just days before Arman Tsarukyan’s much-discussed submission-only grappling match in Armenia fell flat, Dvalishvili says he was offered a short-notice replacement. So what stopped it? Not hesitation, not fear. Just bad timing and a medical issue that refused to cooperate.

The revelation came via Championship Rounds on X, where Dvalishvili explained, “They told me Arman’s opponent had pulled out, and there were only a few days left… They asked if I would grapple with Arman in Armenia, so I took that as a challenge, and I said ‘there’s no chance he beats me’.”

That wasn’t trash talk for effect. It was an assessment based on the rules. Once Dvalishvili looked closer, he doubled down. “I looked at the rules and saw it was submission-only. I thought, ‘how is he supposed to submit me? No chance.’”

That reaction tracks with what fans have seen from ‘The Machine’ for years. Across his UFC run, submissions have never been his weakness. His game is built on scrambling, positional awareness, and a refusal to stay put. Even elite grapplers struggle to hold him down, let alone force a tap. So in a format with no judges, no time limit, and only submissions counting, Dvalishvili saw opportunity, not danger.

He even went back to training the next day, preparing to take the fight. That’s where the plan unraveled. “Then I just went to train the next day, but my nose opened up again, and that’s why I didn’t take it. Otherwise, taking that would’ve been a gangster move on 3 days notice.”

The context makes it even more interesting. The fight Dvalishvili nearly stepped into ended up being Arman Tsarukyan vs. Sharaputdin Magomedov at Hype FC in Yerevan. Billed as a submission-only spectacle with no judges and no time limit, it somehow ended in a six-minute draw. No tap. No winner. Just confusion.

That’s where the “what if” creeps in. The Georgian fighter’s style is the opposite of passive. And in a submission-only environment, constant movement can be just as valuable as submission attempts. Even without chasing finishes, Dvalishvili’s pace would’ve forced reactions.

Would it have ended differently than Tsarukyan vs. Magomedov? We’ll never know. However, the former champion has received a word of advice from Michael Bisping about his return to the Octagon!

Michael Bisping claims Merab Dvalishvili should not “even think about fighting” for six months

Merab Dvalishvili has become synonymous with activity. In 2025 alone, he attempted four title defenses, something almost unheard of in the modern UFC. He succeeded three times, then finally fell short in December, dropping a unanimous decision to Petr Yan at UFC 323. The loss snapped a historic run, but it also sparked a new question: Did the pace finally catch up to him?

Former UFC champion and Hall of Famer Michael Bisping thinks that’s at least worth considering. Speaking on the JAXXON Podcast, Bisping offered advice that ran counter to everything fans expect from Dvalishvili. Slow down.

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According to ‘The Count’, “I think if Merab takes some time off, maybe six months off, let Yan fight Umar Nurmagomedov, and then come back and fight the winner. Taking 6 months away, enjoying the spoils of his riches, enjoying his hard work, go to Georgia, spend time with family, eat some food, just think about nothing else but fighting, don’t even think about fighting.”

So does Merab Dvalishvili rush back in to reclaim what he lost? Or does he take Bisping’s advice and let the picture sharpen without him? For a fighter who nearly accepted a submission-only grappling match on three days’ notice, patience might be the hardest adjustment of all. But sometimes, the most dangerous move isn’t stepping in, it’s stepping away.