Merab Dvalishvili says he enjoys spending time with Ilia Topuria, but not enough to step into the gym and trade rounds with him.
Speaking about the possibility of training alongside the reigning UFC lightweight champion, Dvalishvili made it clear that friendship has its limits when live work starts. For American MMA fans, that comment lands at a time when cross-training between elite champions is more common than ever, especially among fighters with personal ties outside the cage.
"Of course, I like hanging out and training with my brother Ilia Topuria. But if I train with him, then I have to split rounds with him. We would need to spar or wrestle, and that can't really be called fun.
I don't want to take damage, because this guy rocks people. He even beats up his own brother. They told me they kill each other," Dvalishvili said.
The remark also says plenty about Topuria's reputation in the gym. He has already built a public image as one of the most dangerous punchers on the UFC roster, and comments like this only add to that aura. Dvalishvili, meanwhile, has made his career on pace, pressure, and durability, so hearing a fighter with his style openly joke about avoiding damage from Topuria stands out.
From a bigger-picture standpoint, this is the kind of champion-to-champion respect that fans in the U.S. tend to appreciate, especially when it comes without manufactured drama. There is no feud here, just a blunt acknowledgment that some training partners are better kept as friends than sparring opponents.
Whether the two ever share serious rounds or not, Dvalishvili's comments reinforce the same point many opponents have learned the hard way: Topuria is not somebody you volunteer to stand across from unless there is real money and real stakes attached.