Merab Dvalishvili gets hero's welcome back in Georgia with UFC belt in hand

People in Georgia offered a warm welcome to the local boy, Merab Dvalishvili, after he returned home recently. They gathered in massive numbers to catch a glimpse of the new UFC bantamweight champ, who now carries the stature of a national hero.

Dvalishvili outclassed Sean O'Malley in the Noche UFC 306 main event, earning himself UFC gold. Despite a few weird moments, 'The Machine' maintained control over most of the fight to end 'Sugar's' title reign.

Several videos on the web showcased how Georgians celebrated Dvalishvili's victory at his homecoming. Spotting him in one of them becomes hard as he gets lost in the crowd.

Other videos displayed him going on a victory lap on the top of an open-hooded bus. Children ran alongside the bus in some instances, while a sea of people surrounded it to greet the champion in others.

Dvalishvili may have received a lot of love in his home country, but that's not the case everywhere.

Merab Dvalishvili gets into an altercation with a fan while leaving UFC Paris

Dvalishvili doesn't take being disrespected by fans very well. He has gotten into altercations with them several times to date. The recent past isn't much different.

In August, 'The Machine' confronted a fan who kept bad-mouthing him while he visited the Craig Jones Invitational grappling tournament. He hurtled over two security barriers to get to the fan, who immediately got into an apologetic mode.

Check out what Merab Dvalishvili did at the CJI grappling tournament:

The same incident was about to repeat itself at UFC Paris on 28 September while Dvalishvili was leaving Accor Arena after enjoying the event. However, the security in the arena sprung into action rapidly and prevented Dvalishvili from reaching the fans who taunted him.

Check out the video of Merab Dvalishvili's altercation with the fan below:

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