It’s Halloween month, and UFC bantamweight kingpin Merab Dvalishvili can’t escape the season’s intensity. With just hours to go until UFC 320, fighters are already fueling the hype. At the top of the card, Alex Pereira and Magomed Ankalaev—two elite light heavyweights—are set to collide in the Octagon, and the tension is electric. The fire was first ignited at the UFC Performance Institute, where the world witnessed a heated showdown. Using Google Translate to bridge the gap, Ankalaev, speaking in Russian, issued a challenge to Pereira.

Alex Pereira, unfazed, shot back in Portuguese, “I never said anything. He talked. Now he comes out of nowhere and we’re face to face.” The awkward, cross-language confrontation quickly went viral, sending waves across social media and amping up anticipation for the fight. Meanwhile, not every fighter is riding the promo wave. Merab Dvalishvili, set to fight in the co-main event against Cory Sandhagen, appeared completely unbothered, savoring his final moments of chaos at Universal Studios.

Merab Dvalishvili puts his heart to the test ahead of UFC 320

Merab Dvalishvili doesn’t just fight inside the cage—he lives on the edge outside of it. Time and again, the Georgian bantamweight has made Dana White’s blood pressure spike with his thrill-seeking antics before big fights. And just hours before UFC 320, ‘The Machine’ pulled off another stunt, this time not with fists or takedowns, but with his own heartbeat. At Universal Studios’ massive 110,000-square-foot Universal Horror Unleashed, a walk-through haunted attraction at Area15 in Las Vegas, ‘The Machine’ strapped on a heart-rate monitor. Las Vegas’ X account updated fans with the caption: “We strapped a heart-rate monitor on @MerabDvalishvil at @UnleashedVegas. Here’s how it went 👀🫀 @ufc” But it didn’t go as you might have expected. The lionheart got spooked at every turn and tumble.

Navigating the haunted corridors, jump scares sent Dvalishvili’s heart racing like a runaway engine. From lurking monsters to sudden frights, the Georgian star faced a gauntlet that pushed his pulse to the limit from 60 BPM, hitting a peak of 90 BPM in moments of sheer panic. He screamed his way through the house, much to the amusement of the UFC crew. So much for the brave Merab, right?

For years, Merab Dvalishvili has been more than just the cardio king of the UFC—he’s become one of its daredevils. Like Alex Pereira stealing the spotlight last year, ‘The Machine’ has carved out his own stardom, but not without giving Dana White a few headaches along the way.

His habit of putting his body at risk outside the Octagon has turned him into a true thrill-chaser. The stunts go back to 2023, when he nearly slipped to disaster after balancing on a high-rise ledge for an Instagram video. ‘The Machine’s’ foot snagged as he tried to jump back to safety. And this was far from a one-off—Dvalishvili has repeatedly put himself in peril with stunts like this. “The Machine’s” foot snagged as he leaped back to safety, forcing him to cling on for dear life before hauling himself up.

And this was far from a one-off—Dvalishvili has repeatedly flirted with danger in stunts that have more than once made the UFC CEO’s blood boil. But Merab is Merab; hesitation is not in his playbook. Whether sliding his hand into a tiger’s mouth, battling savage currents in open water, or storming haunted houses with his heart hammering against his chest, Dvalishvili continues to prove there’s no one quite like him.

UFC legend’s coach talks why fans love Dvalishvili more

After his breakout showing at UFC 306, Dvalishvili cemented his place among the elite. But it’s not just his skills that draw eyes.’ The Machine’ knows how to entertain. Humor, energy, memorable moments—he delivers them all, keeping fans hooked from the first bell to the last. Today, a new generation of fighters, including Jean Silva and Dvalishvili, isn’t just chasing wins—they’re creating moments, sometimes playful, sometimes polarizing, that fans can’t look away from.

 His “Professor Dvalishvili” skits, stunts, and viral clips—like the infamous back-kiss on Sean O’Malley at UFC 306—cement his reputation as a crowd-pleaser. Even a cheeky jab at Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311, right in front of Khabib, had fans laughing and talking. Merab Dvalishvili’s antics never fail to make headlines. Jean Silva, on the other hand, has faced criticism.

Even UFC legend Georges St-Pierre’s coach, Firas Zahabi, weighed in during a YouTube Q&A: “I like what Lopez did. He’s like, ‘Okay, I’m shaking your hand once. Don’t ask me to shake your hand twenty times.’” Zahabi added that seeing these antics repeatedly is “quite annoying.” Merab Dvalishvili, by contrast, wins approval. “Merab does that too, but it’s kind of funny the way Merab does it. Silva, though, it eats up time, and I don’t find it entertaining. I think Merab picks the right moments, and it’s part of his personality.”

At 34, Merab Dvalishvili is firing on all cylinders. He’s active, fearless, and willing to fight as much as his body will allow—qualities that make him one of the UFC’s most reliable stars. While younger fighters like Ilia Topuria generate buzz, ‘The machine’ combines skill, consistency, and showmanship in a way that few can match.