"No way you can take him down" - Merab Dvalishvili offers inside look at Ilia Topuria's training sessions, shares which 'El Matador' win surprised him

Merab Dvalishvili has shared his thoughts on Ilia Topuria's recent victories and offered insights on what makes 'El Matador' so effective in the octagon.

In 2024, Topuria won the featherweight championship by defeating Alexander Volkanovski and later defended the title against Max Holloway, both considered legends of the division. His achievement of knocking out both fighters in the same year has earned him significant acclaim.

During a recent appearance on the Verse Us with Eric Nicksick podcast, fellow Georgian fighter Dvalishvili revealed which of Topuria's wins he found more impressive, saying:

"Holloway, no! I was more surprised with Volkanovski. But after Volkanovski, against Holloway, no! Because he also believed [in] himself and he's really... put a lot of work in."

Dvalishvili, who has a close friendship with Topuria, shared his thoughts on what makes 'El Matador' so dangerous based on the experience of training with him:

"I sparred with him. He always put me against the wall and it's coming, just coming. It doesn't make sense because you shoot, he does big sprawl. No way you can take him down. He has good wrestling also, and a good wrestling defense, and even good jiu-jitsu and then he just keeps coming and throwing big punches. It's crazy."

Check out Merab Dvalishvili's comments below (57:01):

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Merab Dvalishvili's was planning to spend time with Ilia Topuria in Spain before agreeing to his next fight

Merab Dvalishvili agreed to fight Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 on Jan. 18 on shorter notice than usual. Although Dvalishvili is confident in his ability to defeat the Dagestani fighter and secure his first title defense, it turns out he has put many of his year-end plans on hold to focus on the fight, including a vacation with Ilia Topuria in Spain.

In a recent interview with UFC Espanol, Dvalishvili said:

"The fact that I will be coming back [within four months] after winning the title, I think it means a lot. I think it's a quick turnaround. Also, I took this fight, kind of quick also, six weeks... And I have no excuses. I had so many plans for Christmas, new year, my birthday... And I was going to go with Ilia in Spain and enjoy. But you know what, Umar [doesn't] want to fight during Ramadan, no problem."

Check out Merab Dvalishvili's comments below (18:30):

In recent months, Topuria has expressed a strong desire to move up to lightweight due to his challenges with weight cuts. While focused on pursuing the lightweight title, he has also shown interest in fighting former champion Charles Oliveira in what could be a title eliminator bout.