‘He Will Never Lose Again’ – Hall of Fame Trainer Sounds Off on Merab Dvalishvili’s Relentless Rise

Alongside Joe Rogan, Jon Anik, Daniel Cormier, Chael Sonnen, and Anthony Smith, Atlas brought a unique boxing perspective to the night’s biggest moments.

On an episode of The Fight with Teddy Atlas, the Hall of Fame trainer gave Merab a glowing review.:

‘He's got 4 losses—I can’t see this guy losing to anyone again unless Father Time catches up with him. It’s hard to believe he has 4 losses… you have to do something to stop him from being a machine.’

He also highlighted how overlooked Merab’s stand-up game is:

‘Merab is a hell of a striker. He’s not flashy, but he does it the right way—effective, efficient, legs always under him, never out of position, behind a hard jab.’

Atlas then offered further insight into what makes facing Merab so difficult:

‘It’s not enough just to keep range with a guy like Merab—the Machine—who keeps coming. Yeah, you have to keep range, but you have to mix offense with it. You have to be set to hurt him.’
‘You can’t miss opportunities with the Machine.’

For a man with Atlas’s résumé to speak that highly says a lot. Now the pressure shifts to Dana White and UFC matchmakers to figure out what’s next. Merab isn’t just winning—he’s making believers out of the best minds in combat sports. 

And according to Merab himself, he's ready for another top-tier challenge. He recently stated that he wants Cory Sandhagen next, calling him the most deserving contender in the division—and true to form, reaffirming his commitment to testing himself against only the best.