Merab Dvalishvili wants one thing understood: this was never personal against Islam Makhachev. The UFC star posted a video response after seeing footage of himself reacting during Makhachev’s latest title defense, and he used the clip to separate his feelings about the Dagestani lightweight great from his feelings about the flag his team carried into the Octagon.
“What’s up guys? I just saw Islam Makhachev’s video about how I was reacting while watching his fight,” Dvalishvili said in a video, opening his response directly. From there, he made sure to lead with praise rather than criticism. “I think Islam Makhachev is one of the nicest guys. I think he’s a great and humble champion. I respect all the hard work he’s putting into the career and I have nothing but respect for him.”
He wasn’t just offering polite words either. Dvalishvili said he had already reached out to congratulate Makhachev through his own social media following the win, and he did not hold back when previewing what comes next for the champion.
“Islam and Shavkat will be great fight. Islam will k*ll Morales, Islam will k*ll him,” he said, backing Makhachev heavily in his next test.
So if the respect is genuine, what actually triggered the reaction that Makhachev’s team picked up on? According to Dvalishvili, it traces back to a flag, and to how that moment landed given his own history in the sport.
“But when I saw his team bring the Russian flag into the Octagon, I was upset. I thought they not allowed to have a flag there. They don’t let me use the flag,” he said, pointing to what he describes as an inconsistency he has lived through personally. “The reason I react that way is because, first, during all five of my UFC title matches, I was never allowed to bring my Georgian and American flag into their cage.”
From there, Dvalishvili pushed back on any suggestion that his frustration was aimed at Russian people generally. He was blunt about where the line sits for him.
“I also want to make one thing very clear. I don’t h*te Russian people. I h*te Russian policy and Russian government. My problem is with the government and its action, not with ordinary Russian people,” he noted.
That distinction, he explained, is rooted in his own country’s history. Dvalishvili described the weight of growing up with Russian occupation as a lived reality rather than an abstract political talking point.
“This is very personal. Russia occupies around 20% of Georgia, and there has been history of war. Occupation, s*ffering against my Georgian people,” he said, extending the point to note what he views as a broader pattern beyond Georgia’s borders, referencing Chechnya and the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
Dvalishvili also took aim at how his comments tend to get handled once they reach Russian media outlets, suggesting his actual message rarely survives the translation.
“Russian media is always asking me provocative questions, but they will never translate this video honestly or show what I’m actually saying,” he said. “Because it doesn’t fit the narrative they want to create. Reality is Russian government is dictator and corruption. There is no freedom of speech. And if you protest anything in Russia, you go to jail.”
Even so, he was careful to draw a distinction between the politics of the Russian state and the many fighters from the Caucasus region who compete under the Russian flag, including Makhachev. Dvalishvili framed it as a matter of cultural identity rather than allegiance to Moscow.
“For me, people of the Caucasus, Dagestan, Chechnya, Ingushetia and other part of region have their own identities. Cultures, history, I respect people of the Caucasus,” he said, adding that stars like Movsar Evloev, from Ingushetia, share that same regional identity even while competing under Russia’s banner.
He closed the loop on the flag itself, explaining he sees the situation as one shaped by circumstance rather than choice for many of the fighters involved.
“So I said he is from Dagestan but he just represents the Russian flag. I understand, but Islam say no we are part of the Russia. So I understand you know. So again, this was never about Islam personally,” he noted.
