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Merab Dvalishvili recently met Georgian soccer legend Shota Arveladze.
Earlier this month, Dvalishvili made his dreams come true by beating Sean O'Malley to win the UFC bantamweight title. The 33-year-old is the second Georgian fighter to become a UFC world champion, with featherweight king Ilia Topuria being the first.
Dvalishvili has always proudly represented his home country and became people's favorite due to his accomplishments in the octagon.
'The Machine' recently met and took photos with a fellow legend of the country, Arveladze, the all-time Georgian leading-scorer in soccer.
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The UFC bantamweight king posted the photos of them on Instagram and added the following caption:
"Soccer GOAT. Always a great pleasure to see you big brother @shota_arveladze ⚽️🦾🇬🇪"
Shota Arveladze played as a professional between 1990 and 2008 for various clubs, including Ajax, Rangers, and AZ. Following his playing career, Arveladze transitioned to a managerial role, with his latest assignment being for the second-tier Turkish team of Fatih Karagumruk.
Take a look at the photos of Merab Dvalishvili and Shota Arveladze below:
What's next for Merab Dvalishvili following his title-winning performance at UFC 306?
Merab Dvalishvili won't have much time to celebrate his title-winning performance before preparing for his first defense. The UFC bantamweight division is known for being stacked and the next challenger is already waiting for a date.
Sean O'Malley isn't expected to receive an immediate rematch, as he only defended the title once and needs a torn labrum repaired. Instead, Dvalishvili's next fight will be against number two-ranked Umar Nurmagomedov.
Nurmagomedov quickly gained attention for being the cousin of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Umar made his UFC debut in January 2021 and has since established a promotional record of 6-0, three wins inside the distance. Nurmagomedov made a massive statement in his last fight by beating Cory Sandhagen via unanimous decision.
