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UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili was impressed with Conor McGregor's efforts against Khabib Nurmagomedov. The pair competed in a grudge match at UFC 229 and Khabib emerged victorious by a fourth-round submission to retain the lightweight title.
While Nurmagomedov dominated the fight for the most part, McGregor survived a scary ground-and-pound in the second round. Despite absorbing several punishing blows, he made the fight competitive and won Round 3 on the scorecards. It is the only time Nurmagomedov lost a round in his UFC career.
Davlishvili, who met Conor McGregor at the UFC Performance Institute heading into his fight against Petr Yan, was impressed with the Irishman's personality. While speaking at the post-fight press conference after his win over Yan in March 2023, the Georgian fighter praised the Irishman, saying:
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"I gave him so much respect after the Khabib fight. He showed heart and toughness. He's a warrior. He's such a nice person. He came to take a picture with me and Aljo. He was nice to Aljo and all of us. This is all about that, man. I met so many champions. They're all humble."
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Check out Merab Dvalishvili's comments below (4:22):
Merab Dvalishvili reveals his conversation with Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor is one of the most popular mixed martial artists in the world. The Irishman made a significant contribution to the growth of UFC and MMA. Many argue that the next generations of fighters have benefited in popularity and commercial success from McGregor's boost to the MMA machinery in the 2010s.
Speaking at the aforementioned press conference, Merab Dvalishvili revealed that he wanted to thank McGregor for his contribution. He said:
"I always wanted to say thank you to him for whatever he did for the sport. He was so humble, he did tell me he likes my level changes and shots. He said it's beautiful and he likes my work. That was a big compliment from him. He's a big star and he's still working hard." [3:49]
