The Herd with Colin Cowherd Daniel Cormier Show - Merab Dvalishvili on Sean O'Malley, Cory Sandhagen, Dana White, Umar BEEF
Sep 26, 2025
Merab Dvalishvili, the UFC bantamweight champion known for his relentless fighting style, joins Daniel Cormier to share his inspiring journey from Georgia to the UFC. He reflects on his early struggles, including adapting to life in the U.S. without English and his initial setbacks in the sport. The conversation dives into his rivalries, notably with Sean O'Malley and Cory Sandhagen, as well as his hilarious antics outside the octagon, like jumping into frozen water. Merab also discusses how representing Georgia fuels his motivation in the cage.
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Georgian Hachapuri Gift
- Merab brought Georgian acharuli khachapuri to the interview and walked Daniel Cormier through how to eat it.
- He says he mostly eats clean during camp but brought the bread as a cultural gift.
Difficult Start In The U.S.
- Merab moved to the U.S. in 2012 chasing a UFC dream despite not speaking English or knowing where to train.
- He initially trained under a boxing coach who misled him before finding Ray Longo's gym and regaining his path.
Win Step-By-Step Mentality
- After controversial early losses Merab decided to focus fight-by-fight and simply win each bout.
- That stepwise mindset shifted him from chasing dreams to building a consistent path to the title.