UFC Champ Merab Dvalishvili Retired from MMA Once to Return to Construction Work After Tough Losses

Ahead of his first title defense at UFC 311 against Umar Nurmagomedov, UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili weighed in on the long road he took to get to the top. Prior to the UFC, his journey was even tougher. Things were so testing that he even quit MMA altogether to become a construction worker.

Back in 2014, when he was still fighting in the smaller promotions, Merab was suffering from recurrent headaches. The situation became so dire that he canceled a fight, and wanted to take some time off to live a “normal life“.

“I wasn’t happy, not motivated and… I was like, ‘I have a job [construction]’. And I was thinking about getting back to construction. Maybe one day I would have become a contractor and give people jobs and make money. Work day time, and at night, go to clubs, and restaurants, hang out with girls, maybe get married and live a normal life,” recalled Dvalishvili.

At the time, Merab wasn’t sure he would even make it to the UFC. Having lost fights in smaller promotions, he had grown to believe that there was no way he could make it big. Merab was thinking he would be better off moving to Russia or China, and take a job earning a few thousand bucks or so.

However, Dvalishvili’s true ‘normal’ was inside the octagon, and he got back to the sport soon enough.

“I was going out, having fun but I wasn’t happy. I was missing something, I was missing competition. So I came back, because I missed it,” added Merab.

Upon return, he ended up winning six fights in a row, capturing the attention of UFC president Dana White.

After joining the UFC, Merab lost his first couple of fights. And, just as it seemed the dream was over, he went on a tear, winning the next 10 fights against fighters including Jose Aldo, Petr Yan and Henry Cejudo. Dvalishvili eventually got the title shot against Sean O’Malley at UFC: Noche.

The upcoming title defense against Umar would establish his credentials as a champ further. However, he had shown reluctance to accept the fight for the longest time.

Why Merab hates the Umar title fight

The tensions between Merab and Umar have been boiling over for months now. The champ has repeatedly called the Dagestani fighter disrespectful, and has made it clear he will destroy Umar inside the octagon.

Merab had tried to avoid fighting Umar too, claiming that he was getting a title shot only because of his famous surname.

“This guy is getting a gift to fight me — didn’t move up the ranks on his own — just through one ranked fight and a last name. He is a spoiled brat who continuously spews lies and disrespect. Tune in to UFC 311 and he will get exactly what he deserves,” Merab had said once.

Merab’s angst at Umar getting the easy path to the title is understandable. He might be at the top of the bantamweight pecking order right now, but Dvalishvili got there the hard way — from the grind he endured in Georgia to the UFC PC, to PPVs as they came along.

Umar, on the other hand, has had a silver-spoon situation. The Dagestani has trained for this all his life. Even before he cracked the top-10 in the division, people knew his name. His cousin Khabib is considered the greatest lightweight champion of all time, while his brother Usman Nurmagomedov holds the title in Bellator.

Since joining the UFC in 2021, Umar has had only six fights. He’s won all of them, for sure. But there is a staggering difference when we compare the level of opponents he and Merab faced. The only top contender Umar has ever beaten is Cory Sandhangen, at a UFC Fight Night in August last year.

This is not to say Umar is not a credible threat to the champion. He would be a nightmare matchup for Merab, and this is why the champ wanted more preparation time to defend the title against him.

Umar can play the perfect foil to Merab’s multiple takedowns during their fight. And, while Merab has shown an unwillingness to go for the kill, Umar has no such reservations. As far as their striking is concerned, if Merab resorts to standing up and trading, he would have handed the fight on a platter to Umar.

Merab’s unhappiness about being forced into a title defense is not solely due to Umar’s privilege. The Dagestani’s skills are intimidating too.