Merab Dvalishvili reportedly gifted hundreds of thousands of dollars by Georgian government for becoming a UFC world champion
Merab Dvalishvili appears to have not only just earned the UFC bantamweight title, but also a cash sum by the Georgian government for his victory over Sean O'Malley.
'The Machine' faced-off against 'Suga' in the main event of the Noche UFC 306 event at The Sphere in Las Vegas earlier this month. The pair went the distance in an entertaining contest, which saw Dvalishvili utilize his wrestling and pressure heavy style to nullify the offense of his O'Malley.
The Georgian-fighter eventually had his hand raised via unanimous decision, winning his first UFC title and extending his undefeated streak to 11 straight wins.
Along with his title victory, Merab Dvalishvili will now see his earnings increase exponentially, as champions of the promotion earn a percentage of pay-per-view buys and gain a bumper in their standard fight pay.
According to reports, however, Dvalishvili's new UFC earnings arent' the only finances he has received. First revealed by Georgian MMA reporter Giorgi Kokiashvili, the 33-year-old is believed to have been handed a large sum of money by his home country's government.
Courtesy of Home of Fight on X, the report states:
"Merab Dvalishvili was gifted $367,000 from Georgian government for becoming the UFC Champion."
The report also went on to reveal that Dvalishvili is planning on donating the money to a number of charities as well as a host of MMA gyms in Georgia.
Check out the tweet here:
Merab Dvalishvili sounds off on "liar" Umar Nurmagomedov
Merab Dvalishvili recently engaged in a war of words with bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov. His comments came after the Dagestani fighter claimed 'The Machine' was avoiding a fight with him.
Following his title win at UFC 306, rumors of Dvalishvili's next opponent have been swirling, with many believing it will either be Nurmagomedov next or a rematch against O'Malley.
According to the 'Young Eagle', however, it will likely be 'Suga' after he claimed Dvalishvili won't face him.
Merab Dvalishvili then took to X to respond to Nurmagomedov's claim, going on a lengthy rant to deny any notion of him refusing a bout. He wrote:
"Umar Now not only are you disrespectful , you are a liar. If UFC offered you to fight with me 2 times - show the fans the contract and the dates. They offered me to fight you right after I beat Petr Yan with a broken hand in 6 weeks. I accepted the fight verbally even thought i was no. 1 contender and you were no. 13 rank and even with broken hand. Ultimately the doctor said no to this and I had surgery."
Check out the full tweet here: