UFC bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili has his hands full preparing for his trilogy match with Peter Yan on October 24, but the Georgian star is already looking ahead to what comes after.
During a recent appearance on the Mighty Cast podcast with former UFC champion Demetrious Johnson, Dvalishvili opened up about his personal life. He revealed his plans to finally dedicate time to finding a life partner from his homeland once his upcoming fight concludes.
“I don’t have wife yet,” Dvalishvili admitted when asked about his dating life. The star acknowledged that finding love requires the same dedication he brings to competition. “If you want to find a wife, you really have to dedicate time to it. But I’ve just been training, living here in Vegas, and traveling between Las Vegas and California.”
The 35-year-old explained that his grueling schedule and constant training have left little room for romance. But after his bout with Yan, Dvalishvili plans to return to Georgia for at least a month to oversee the opening of his new MMA gym. During that time, he’ll make finding a Georgian wife a priority.
“After this fight, I’m going to Georgia because I’m opening a gym, and I’ll be there for at least a month,” Dvalishvili explained. “Maybe I’ll put more effort into finding a Georgian wife. Hopefully, I’ll find someone.”
When Johnson’s co-host Michael jokingly asked Dvalishvili to help him find a Georgian woman, the athlete was quick to set boundaries.
“I’ll tell you again, I don’t know if I can find a Georgian woman for Mike,” Dvalishvili said with a laugh. “You can take my money, and I’ll give you food and anything else I can. You can even live in my house, but don’t ask me to help an American guy marry a Georgian woman.”
Merab’s reasoning was simple. “We Georgians have to make more Georgians. We have to make more of them around the world,” he explained.
Dvalishvili also addressed his public discussions about relationships, stating this would be his final time speaking openly about the subject.
“This is the last time I’m talking publicly and openly about finding a wife. No more. I’m done talking about it because all these [women] in Vegas go crazy,” Dvalishvili said. “I’m officially done talking about my wife on the internet. From now on, I’ll stay quiet and focus on finding her.”
[Editor’s Note: Quotes have been edited for better clarity and readability.]
