Issue 231
July 2026
There are far easier ways to become Fighter of the Year than doing it the Merab Dvalishvili way. Most champions would happily defend their belt once or twice, throw up a few inspirational quotes on social media and spend the rest of the year reminding everyone they're the king. Merab looked at a queue of the world's best bantamweights and essentially said, Who's next?
The machine-like work ethic has always been his superpower. Not his wrestling. Not even the cardio that seems to have been borrowed from the lead husky in a Siberian dog sledge team. It's the willingness to keep showing up. Again. Again. And then one more time for good measure. That's exactly why the Charles "Mask" Lewis Fighter of the Year award could not have gone to any other man. Charles Lewis built Tapout around fighters who earned respect the hard way, and few champions represent that spirit better than ‘The Machine.’ During a remarkable 2025, Dvalishvili defended his bantamweight title three times, handed Umar Nurmagomedov the first loss of his professional career, submitted Sean O'Malley in their blockbuster rematch, matched the UFC bantamweight record for consecutive title defences and somehow squeezed four championship fights into a single calendar year. Phew, it’s exhausting just writing it. Even a gruelling December loss to Petr Yan couldn't erase what had already become one of the finest championship campaigns the UFC has ever seen. And that’s why the fans love him.
EARNED, NEVER GIVEN
Ask Dvalishvili what becoming champion has changed, and his answer is almost disappointingly ordinary. There are no stories about finally feeling like he'd made it. No talk of reaching the summit. If anything, success seems to have made him even hungrier, especially at the start of 2025.
“It was hard to imagine all this, but now, yes, I am a champion,” he told Fighters Only early in February 2025 before he’d gone on to achieve all his incredible feats. “But to be honest, I'm the same guy. I'm even more motivated. Even more hungry. Nothing changed in me. I still have the same goal. The same life, like I had before, and I'm only gonna get better. I'm only going to show good work.”
That mentality explains why fans have gravitated towards 'The Machine.' Dvalishvili has never behaved like a champion protecting a throne. He still approaches every fight like a challenger trying to earn another opportunity. Outside the Octagon, he's become just as endearing. One minute he's chasing mates carrying pet bears through the Georgian wilderness. The next he's dangling off construction cranes, turning wrestling practice into a comedy sketch or inventing another training challenge that makes his coaches question their career choices. Scroll through his social media for five minutes and you'll quickly realise Merab has the energy of a Labrador that's just discovered espresso. It's impossible to fake that kind of joy. Win, lose or draw, he looks like he's having the best day of his life, and it's infectious. However, behind it all, he remains humble.
“I'm glad I earned everything,” he told us. “I didn't get gifted anything. I'm grateful for my teammates, my training partners, my friends around me, everything else. I'm happy. I'm grateful, but I'm motivated and even more hungry now.”
Even with gold around his waist and another major award to his name, Dvalishvili's greatest strength remains the same as it was when nobody outside hardcore fans could pronounce his surname. He simply refuses to believe the work is done.
A MESSAGE FROM HOME
In a way, it felt fitting that Merab Dvalishvili wasn't in the room to collect his Fighter of the Year award. While the MMA world gathered to celebrate another incredible season, “The Machine’ was back doing what machines do best. Home in Georgia. The country that still means more to him than any championship belt or trophy ever could. Instead of walking onto the stage, he appeared on the big screen with a simple video message. No dramatic production. No carefully crafted speech. Just Merab being his true self.
“Hey everybody, so sorry I could not be there in person to accept this amazing award, Fighter of the Year. I am in my home country, Georgia. Thank you to Fighters Only and to all my friends, family and fans for your amazing support. I do this for all you guys. Always remember, with hard work and focus, everything is possible. Thank you again.”
That was it. He didn’t drop us a reminder that he'd defended his title three times. No mention of handing Umar Nurmagomedov his first professional defeat. No talk about matching the bantamweight record for consecutive title defences or becoming one of the busiest champions in UFC history. Merab could have filled five minutes listing everything he'd achieved during an extraordinary year. Instead, he spent less than thirty seconds thanking the people who helped him get there. And it's probably the least surprising thing about him. This is, after all, the same man who told Fighters Only that becoming champion hadn't changed who he was. The same fighter who insists he earned everything and was gifted nothing. The same bloke who can spend one afternoon hanging off a construction crane for the amusement of his Instagram followers and the next representing his country with tears in his eyes. Beneath all the Merab-created chaos, the comedy and the seemingly endless cardio is someone remarkably grounded. Perhaps that's why the fans voted with love the way they did.
