Merab Dvalishvili Almost Breaks MMA GOAT’s Ribs in Intense Training for UFC 320

Mighty Mouse is a seasoned veteran who has claimed gold not only in the UFC but also as a former ONE Championship titleholder. And although retired, the way Merab snapped into guard and transitioned to a guillotine-neck crank shows just how much he’s been sharpening his submission game—something the 39-year-old couldn’t help but praise.

Going into more detail about the roll, Johnson added, “He had me like this, I was trying to get small, because typically when you get a head and arm in no-gi jiu-jitsu, you shrink down and pop your head out. I was trying to do that, squeeze my head out the back. But then he kept pulling—and I could see him laughing and smiling at people while doing it. He was just smiling and having a good f–king time, and I f–king tapped.”

It really seemed like Merab had fun going toe-to-toe in a sparring session with one of the greats of the sport. But that raises another question. While the former UFC flyweight champion was nothing but impressed by the intense training, what about the reigning bantamweight king? Did he feel the same way?

‘The Machine’ feels honored to share the mat with Demetrious Johnson

On the current UFC roster, Merab Dvalishvili might be the most humble fighter who also happens to enjoy demolishing opponents. Aside from his heated rivalry with Umar Nurmagomedov, ‘The Machine’ is usually respectful toward everyone he faces. His genuine admiration for training with Demetrious Johnson was a wholesome reminder of how two true martial artists can share a bond in just a sparring session.

In the same video, Merab opened up about training with DJ and said, “Training with Demetrious Johnson it’s honor for me. He’s the GOAT; he’s the legend. And, I’m still fan of him, and, it’s really big honor for me to training with him, and learn from him. Not every day we have this big opportunity to training one of your idol, the guy that you look up with, and he’s really GOAT. That was a great training session, and now I’m happy, we got some training today.”   

The reigning bantamweight champion training with a legend before such an important fight is nothing but positive. ‘Mighty Mouse’ might be among the top five fighters in the world when it comes to MMA experience, and there’s a good chance that ‘The Machine’ has added new weapons to his arsenal from this session—just in time for his showdown with Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320.

With that being said, do you think ‘The Machine’ will reign supreme for the third time this year? Or are we about to witness one of the biggest upsets? Let us know in the comments below.