Is Merab Dvalishvili Muslim? Exploring the bantamweight champion's religion, background, and nationality ahead of title defense at UFC 311

Merab Dvalishvili shares many similarities with other Caucasian fighters from regions such as Dagestan and Chechnya. These similarities include the same style of headgear, a comparable accent, and a dominant grappling-heavy fighting approach.

'The Machine' is often grouped with fighters like Islam Makhachev and Khabib Nurmagomedov due to similar personalities and fighting styles. However, despite being from the same geographic area, Dvalishvili's religious background differs from that of many of his counterparts.

---

Is Merab Dvalishvili Muslim? Exploring his religious background and nationality.

Merab Dvalishvili belongs to Georgia, where nearly 87 percent of the population follows the Christian faith. Of these, about 83 percent are followers of the Georgian Orthodox Church. Dvalishvili belongs to this sect and is a devout follower of Eastern Orthodox Christianity.

This church is one of the oldest churches in the world. It claims apostolic roots and is linked to Saint Andrew, one of Jesus' original twelve disciples.

Dvalishvili was born on Jan. 10, 1991, in Tbilisi, the Georgian SSR (Soviet Socialist Republic). The USSR disintegrated the same year, so he grew up in an independent Georgia. Contrary to popular belief, the 34-year-old is not a Muslim.

'The Machine' moved to the United States at the age of 21 to pursue his dream of becoming a UFC fighter. After relocating, Dvalishvili began training with Matt Serra and Ray Longo, who continue to train him to this day.

Dvalishvili worked in different construction sites before pursuing an MMA career. Moreover, he's been staying in the US for more than 12 years now. The bantamweight champion notably completed the requirements to attain American citizenship in March 2024, following his victory over former champion Cejudo at UFC 298.

---

Merab Dvalishvili's belief in God has solidified his confidence

Merab Dvalishvili may not appear too serious, thanks to his goofy social media skits, but 'The Machine' claims his belief in the divine being has strengthened his confidence and belief in his game.

The 34-year-old went on a trip to India, where he sat down with Ranveer Allahbadia of the BeerBiceps podcast and opened up about his spirituality. When asked about whether his belief in God has helped his game, Dvalishvili said:

“Yeah man, God is always with you, it doesn’t matter man. My opponent, he wants to kill me. He wants to punch me in the face. And yeah, sometimes, you know this, and your opponent is hitting hard, he may break your bone and then you have to be in an animal mode."

He added:

"But at the same time, you have to know that God is with you, you’re not gonna die. You know what I’m saying. You have to just work hard, you have to fight hard, you have to defend yourself, you have to attack and you have to fight back but ofcourse, God is with you, and ofcourse God will save you and will be with you.”

Check out Merab Dvalishvili's comments on his spiritual belief (28:50):