With only days left for UFC 323, Merab Dvalishvili is already making plans for his vacation after his title defense against Petr Yan inside the T-Mobile Arena. Maybe it is a well-deserved break for The Machine.

This year, the reigning bantamweight champion stayed insanely busy as he’s preparing to fight four times. To emphasize it even more, the Georgian champ dominated Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320 in October, then came back just two months later in December for UFC 323. Insane! But even a machine like Merab needs some time off to recharge. So, how does the Bantamweight Champion relax? How about chilling in one of the most popular islands with a social media juggernaut?

Merab Dvalishvili receives an invite from Mark Zuckerberg

“I love to be active, but I will take some time because Mark Zuckerberg invited me to Hawaii in a couple of days, and after my fight, I will go there.” Merab Dvalishvili revealed to Kairouz Bros on YouTube. 

Well, the current 135 lbs king and Meta’s Chief Executive Officer have built a friendly relationship based on their mutual love for MMA. Zuckerberg has shown up at several of Merab’s fights to cheer him on, and they’ve even teased training together. So it’s definitely going to be an exciting link-up, and this time we might actually see them hit the mats together. However, ‘The Machine’s plan doesn’t stop there, as he’s also going to meet Ilia Topuria in Spain.

“Right after, I’m going to go hang out with Ilia in Spain. But, it’s gonna be training. Training with Mark Zuckerberg, training with Ilia. It’s gonna be an active vacation.” Merab Dvalishvili added.

Interestingly, Merab has visited Spain before and even met the Topuria brothers there. He once told influencer Nina Drama about a hilarious moment when someone on the streets of Spain mistook Ilia Topuria for Conor McGregor. With that funny incident in mind, we can expect Merab to share something equally entertaining this time as well, along with some solid training footage. 

But as the UFC bantamweight champion looks forward to his vacation, it’s not the only thing on his mind. Merab has already lined up a few upcoming challengers in his head for his next title defenses, and he’s quietly preparing for whoever steps up next. 

‘The Machine’ eyes Aiemann Zahabi and Song Yadong next 

At UFC 323, Merab Dvalishvili is definitely going to face a familiar challenge, but it’s pretty clear he would face a better Petr Yan this time. Still, there’s no doubt that the Georgian would have the majority of fan votes to beat his opponent once again and create history. After that, many believed Merab would jump into the featherweight division, searching for new challenges. But it seems he’s actually eyeing some pretty solid contenders in his own division.

“I’m excited. [Aiemann] Zahabi is coming from a long winning streak, which is good. Song Yadong has a fight against Sean O’Malley. If Yadong wins somehow, of course I’m cheering for Sean O’Malley, but if Yadong wins, I’d like to fight him too. And then there are other guys who have other fights too and if they win, I will have a next contender.” Merab said at the UFC 323 media day.

Well, adding to Merab’s list, Umar Nurmagomedov and Deiveson Figueiredo will also fight at UFC 324, and the winner of that matchup might jump ahead of Zahabi or Yadong. The reason is simple. ‘Deus da Guerra’ is a former flyweight champ, so he might get the shot based on legacy. But the UFC might actually favor ‘The Young Eagle’ more since he and Merab already share a bit of animosity, as ‘The Machine’ defeated him at UFC 311 to defend his belt.

That said, the UFC bantamweight division might be in the best possible position right now with an exciting champion and some really strong matchups on the horizon. So do you think Merab Dvalishvili would return quickly if he beats Yan at UFC 323, maybe even as early as next February? Or would he take more time off? Let us know in the comments section below.