Can anyone challenge UFC’s cardio machine, Merab Dvalishvili? That’s the question fans and analysts ask as the reigning bantamweight champion gears up for his fourth title defense of the year at UFC 323. Even after he has faced some of the sport’s most experienced and high-profile fighters, Dvalishvili continues to baffle experts. In fact, Georges St‑Pierre’s longtime coach, Firas Zahabi, admits he cannot explain it, simply crediting it to “It’s genetic.”

Merab’s incredible endurance has earned praise from UFC figures like Joe Rogan and Tom Aspinall, who admire how “the machine” dominates opponents such as Umar Nurmagomedov and Sean O’Malley. Recently, UFC fighter-turned-commentator Daniel Cormier pointed out a former champion who could surpass Merab Dvalishvili’s legendary training.

DC highlights a UFC star whose dedication in training exceeds Merab Dvalishvili

While most fighters focus on weightlifting and general conditioning, Merab Dvalishvili dedicates himself to fight-specific training year-round, pushing a grind that few can match. However, Daniel Cormier believes his former training partner, Cain Velasquez, could overshadow Merab if he fought in his prime.

“Cain Velasquez is killing Merab,” Cormier said in response to Youssef Zalal. While the others disagreed, ‘DC’ made a compelling argument and still praised Merab, saying he “works hard.” Yet he insisted he had “never seen anything like” Velasquez.

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The Louisiana native recalled their time at AKA while training Velasquez for his fight against Brock Lesnar at UFC 121. “We were sparring with him when Cain was getting ready to fight Brock Lesnar—five of us were switching every two and a half minutes to try to get him to 25 minutes,” said Daniel Cormier at the UFC 323 morning weigh-in show alongside Dan Hardy, Laura Sanko, and Youssef Zalal.

“Neither one of them lasted a round,” revealed DC.

DC’s point about Cain Velasquez’s cardio is undeniable. At his peak, Cain, nicknamed “Cardio Cain,” knocked out Brock Lesnar in the first round of their 2010 title fight. Before that bout, he endured a test that showcased his extraordinary power.

Today, Cain Velasquez is serving time for a shooting incident. While comparing fighters from different eras can be unfair, last year, Daniel Cormier and Velasquez’s longtime coach, Javier Mendez, offered a respectful comparison between Merab Dvalishvili and Cain Velasquez.

‘Team Khabib’ compares Cain Velasquez and Dvalishvili

While Daniel Cormier holds a different opinion, his coach at American Kickboxing Academy, Javier Mendez, drew a positive comparison between Cain Velasquez and Merab Dvalishvili. Mendez, who has trained elite fighters such as Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev, and Luke Rockhold, has long been recognized as one of the top trainers in the MMA world.

Even with a roster of high-profile fighters under his guidance, including bantamweight champion Umar Nurmagomedov, Mendez did not hesitate to commend Merab Dvalishvili. Merab cemented his dominance last year by winning gold at UFC 306 inside the Sphere against Sean O’Malley and earned praise from Mendez for his exceptional abilities.

“What he has is this incredible cardio,” Javier Mendez told Submission Radio. “That’s a big part that’s in his advantage. I don’t know of anybody in the bantamweight division I see that has that type of advantage. He’s got an incredible gas tank. He’s kind of like a reminder of Cain Velasquez in the bantamweight division.”

Considering Merab Dvalishvili versus Cain Velasquez in terms of cardio and work ethic, do you think ‘The Machine’ could outlast ‘Cardio Cain’? Share your comparison below.