Merab Dvalishvili recalls funny fan moment that made him 'appreciate' Conor McGregor: "I was with Ilia Topuria"

UFC bantamweight world title challenger Merab Dvalishvili is one of the funniest fighters in the UFC today, aside from being one of the best. At Noche UFC 306 this weekend, the fighting Georgian will battle for UFC gold as he challenges 'Sugar' Sean O'Malley for the UFC bantamweight title.

Ahead of Noche UFC 306, Dvalishvili appeared in Nina-Marie Daniele's video. Known for her out-of-left-field questions, Daniele asked 'The Machine ' if there was someone people thought he looked like.

Right off the bat, Dvalishvili said:

"I will tell you my one funny story. So I was in Spain. I was with [UFC featherweight champion] Ilia Topuria and his brother...So, of course, I was in a new country and I was chasing girls, you know. UFC not really popular there. But one girl did recognize me. And she said 'That's you!' I said 'Yes! Yes, it's me!"

Dvalishvili continued:

"One hour later, she thinks I'm Conor McGregor. I say 'Yes, yes! (laughs) Yes I am Conor McGregor.' I'm very appreciative of Conor McGregor, you know. Worked out good. Everything, you know."

Check out the video of Merab Dvalishvili telling the story below:

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Merab Dvalishvili explains what happened during his altercation with a fan at Craig Jones Invitational

While Merab Dvalishvili is often upbeat and friendly with his fans, he can also reveal a meaner side if fans disrespect him. At Craig Jones Invitational last month, 'The Machine' confronted a fan heckling him in the crowd. Dvalishvili warned the man multiple times to stop heckling him but to no avail. The UFC bantamweight star then jumped the fence, grabbed the fan by the hair, and scared the living daylights out of him.

Check out a video of the incident below:

In an interview with journalist Kevin Iole, Dvalishvili revealed what happened that night last August:

"He was joking [with me] I guess, with one of his friends and he disrespected me… Everybody respect me and this one guy, I’m not going to let him disrespect me… I told him to come and of course he’s not coming, he was laughing and I had to go. I tell him, ‘yeah, tell me now’... of course like I don't want to like hurt him. But I did bully him.”

Check out Merab Dvalishvili's comments below (Starting from 8:09):