Merab Dvalishvili has been tremendously successful inside the Octagon, but his search for a life partner has proven to be a far tougher challenge.
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The former UFC bantamweight champion has spent the last year openly discussing his desire to find a wife and eventually start a family. However, after some serious effort, ‘The Machine’ has now admitted that he is taking a break from the hunt as his current surroundings in Las Vegas have made finding the kind of partner he wants particularly difficult.
“Right now, I take a little bit break for, like, searching wife,” Dvalishvili told Ariel Helwani in a recent interview. “Because I realize where I am now in Vegas, where I live, here will be very, very tough to find a wife at the moment.
“And then also maybe I’m not taking my time, but, like, to go somewhere, like maybe country here, or even in my home country, or, like, really a little dedicated time for that to find a good wife. And then also I’m very busy.”
Dvalishvili first publicly stated that he wants to get married in 2025, with his close friend and former teammate Aljamain Sterling‘s wedding possibly influencing his thinking. Sterling got married in October of last year, and ‘The Machine’ subsequently began documenting his own attempts to find a partner.
What began as a simple declaration turned into a recurring social media storyline, with Merab Dvalishvili even collaborating with creators like Nina-Marie Daniele as he searched for what he characterized as a traditional bride.
The 35-year-old has already made it clear that he prefers to marry a Georgian woman. During an interview with former UFC star Demetrious Johnson, Merab Dvalishvili explained why finding one in America has been so difficult.
“I’m looking for a Georgian woman to marry,” he said. “But the problem is all the Georgian women who come to the United States, they all marry Americans.
“Come on, Georgian woman, don’t marry this guy. Marry me. I love all women. I’m talking about wife. My girlfriend can be any woman.”
Dvalishvili has been living in Las Vegas since February 2024, when he relocated from New York to better focus on his training. The move brought him closer to Syndicate MMA and the UFC Performance Institute, providing him with more access to training, nutrition, and recovery resources. He also became a naturalized US citizen in March 2024.
For now, however, it looks like his search for a wife is taking a back seat to his fighting career.
‘The Machine’ put together one of the most impressive win streaks in UFC history with 14 straight wins before losing his bantamweight belt to Petr Yan at UFC 323. He successfully defended the belt three times, including once against the only Dagestani fighter he hates, Umar Nurmagomedov.
Merab Dvalishvili was finally dethroned via a unanimous decision by Yan in their rematch. He will now have the chance to settle the rivalry once and for all when the two go one-on-one for the trilogy fight at UFC 333, with the bantamweight championship on the line once again.