If the UFC had a belt for being the biggest daredevil in the game, it would go straight to Merab Dvalishvili—no questions asked. The reigning bantamweight champion isn’t just a fighter; he’s basically a real-life stuntman. Whether he’s leaping between rooftops, plunging into frozen rivers, or battling fierce river currents, ‘The Machine’ has built a reputation for chasing danger like it’s part of his training camp. And oddly enough, he saves these jaw-dropping stunts for right before major UFC pay-per-view events—routinely giving CEO Dana White panic attacks.

Take last year, for example. In the lead-up to the mega-budget UFC 306 at the Sphere in Las Vegas—a card that reportedly cost north of $20 million—Merab Dvalishvili went viral after splitting his eyebrow open in a freak accident. That incident drew a fiery reaction from Dana White, who blasted him in public: “It is next-level stupid.” But if you know Dvalishvili, you know that kind of chaos is just business as usual. They don’t call him ‘The Machine’ for nothing.

He runs on pure grit — fears nothing, never lets up, and shrugs off pain without flinching. He tunes his mindset to a frequency that even top-tier athletes can’t match. And that eyebrow gash? It was just a prelude. In April, Merab Dvalishvili was back in the headlines — not for a fight, but for a stunt. A video surfaced of him teetering on the edge of a skyscraper, moments from jumping. His foot caught the railing, and for a split second, it looked like disaster.

Somehow, he managed to haul himself back up, brushing off the near miss like it was nothing. Fast forward to now — UFC 320 looms, and Merab Dvalishvili gears up to defend his belt for the third time this year against Cory Sandhagen. Yet again, he stuns fans and fighters by pulling off another wild stunt. Just two months out from the title defense, Merab Dvalishvili decided to get in front of a tiger during a trip to Canada.

Yes, a tiger. The footage left UFC personalities speechless and the internet in shock. But for Merab? It was just another wild, rule-breaking day in the life of MMA’s most unpredictable champion.

Merab Dvalishvili’s tiger stunt draws reactions from Nina Danelene, Marie Apualo Costa, and adult star

While visiting Canada, Merab Dvalishvili left fans speechless after a video showed him calmly crawling up to a tiger and playing with it—right in front of a group of Canadian-Indian onlookers. Remarkably, he managed the wild encounter without causing the animal any harm. The jaw-dropping footage went viral almost instantly, with fans struggling to process what they’d just witnessed. One stunned follower summed it up perfectly: “Logged onto Instagram and Merab is literally crawling on the ground face to face with a tiger. The octagon really is the safest space for that guy.”

The video didn’t just spark fan reactions — it drew immediate attention from UFC stars and personalities alike. Middleweight contender Paulo Costa praised the moment with a simple but spot-on comment: “Two beasts.” The Brazilian wasn’t wrong. Merab Dvalishvili has smashed through four former champions to earn his title shot, and now heads into UFC 320 this October riding a 13-fight win streak — looking to make history with his 14th straight victory.

Fellow fighter Dennis Buzukja joined the fun in the comments with a cheeky line: “Brother I’m happy you got to meet my cat.” And Al Iaquinta, the gritty veteran who famously went five rounds with Khabib Nurmagomedov on short notice, couldn’t help but fire off a hilarious take of his own: “The tiger is crazy getting so close to Merab.” Fans echoed the sentiment: “Tiger got to meet Merab.”

Even adult film star Kendra Lust couldn’t resist chiming in, dropping a simple but telling emoji: “❤️” Meanwhile, UFC personality and social media sensation Nina Marie Daniele offered a much-needed reminder in the comments: “Dana and Hunter Campbell watching this video like 😠😡🤬.” One fan imagined the UFC higher-ups nervously watching the video, writing: “Dana and Hunter Campbell watching this video like…” Dana White and Hunter Campbell likely watched Merab Dvalishvili’s wild antics while sweating bullets.

Fans still remember UFC 311, when Merab Dvalishvili stepped into the Octagon while his shin was still healing from surgery. No one has ever questioned his mental or physical toughness—but now, his thrill-seeking outside the cage is starting to rival his accomplishments inside it. And now, with UFC 320 just around the corner at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, one fan had a suggestion that pretty much captured the mood: “Let’s bring him [the tiger] to the next fight.”

As for Merab Dvalishvili’s wild tiger encounter—what’s your take on these kinds of antics before a major bout? Is he flirting with disaster and risking serious injury? Or is it just another case of Merab being Merab? At this point, it almost feels like danger itself doesn’t want to mess with the bantamweight champion.