Merab Dvalishvili is the UFC bantamweight champion, a man who has built his public image around positivity, humor, and relentless work ethic. But behind the viral TikToks and championship success is a much more traditional vision for his personal life.
Appearing on the Love & War podcast with Dominick Cruz, Dvalishvili opened up about what he wants from marriage, family, and the kind of partner he hopes to find. His answer quickly caught Cruz’s attention.
“My kids’ wife has to be very old school, traditional, family-oriented, good past, and real wife,” Dvalishvili said.
When Cruz jokingly suggested that any future wife would probably need to participate in his social media content and TikToks, Dvalishvili immediately disagreed.
“Actually not,” he said.
Cruz then joked that Merab’s ideal wife would have “no TikToks, no social media. No phone. She covers her hair.”
Dvalishvili agreed with the description, saying “it’s hard” to come by such women.
He said, “It’s a little bit harder now like this age and this situation to get married. I always wanted to have a family.”
Looking back on his childhood in Georgia, Dvalishvili said marriage and family were always part of the plan.
“When I was young, that was my number one goal, but I wasn’t ready financially,” he said.
There was even a period when he considered walking away from competing altogether. At the time, he imagined a much different future for himself.
“I said I’m going to live like normal people,” Dvalishvili recalled. “I’m going to have a construction job and just get married, find a good Christian woman, and have a good Christian family.”
Instead, his MMA career took off, and his plans for marriage were pushed further down the road. He told his parents that settling down would have to wait until he achieved his ultimate goal.
“When my parents asked me, I said when I become champion then I will start thinking seriously about getting married,” he said.
Dvalishvili eventually captured UFC gold, but finding the right partner has proven more difficult than winning fights.
“Bro, it’s very hard,” he admitted. “Especially where we live now, here in Vegas.”
When discussing children, Dvalishvili emphasized that character and family values remain his top priorities.
“I want to have kids with a very respectful mother,” he said. “A real mother. I don’t want drama. I don’t want disrespect.”
