Merab Dvalishvili voices support for Ilia Topuria, harks back to Paddy Pimblett mocking Georgians for Russian occupation
Merab Dvalishvili has come out in support of Ilia Topuria after 'El Matador's' recent altercation with Paddy Pimblett. Hailing from Georgia, 'The Machine' also criticized Pimblett for making fun of the Russo-Georgian war.
Like Topuria, Dvalishvili also didn't take kindly to Pimblett's comments about the Russian oppression of Georgia. According to 'The Machine', Russia meted out the same treatment to Georgia as it is now doing to Ukraine. The 31-year old recently wrote in an Instagram post:
"This guy Baddy disrespected our country when he said Russia did right when they destroyed Georgia. PSA - If you dont know it Russia did the same to Georgia that they are doing to Ukraine. They killed thousands of Georgians and occupied 20% of our country."
Check out the post below:
BREAKING: Ilia Topuria shares the video of his meeting with Paddy Pimblett today! 
via Ilia Topuria's IG.You are the man ilia Topuria! გენაცვალე ილია ჯიგარი ხარ! twitter.com/iheartgeorgius…
Merab Dvalishvili made his UFC debut in 2017, coming up on the short side of a split decision against Frankie Saenz. Around four months later, he went on to suffer a last-minute submission to Ricky Simon in his next bout. 'The Machine' has not lost a fight since and is currently riding a magnificent seven-fight win streak.
The origin of Paddy Pimblett's feud with Georgians
Both Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria have their respective bouts scheduled for this weekend at UFC London. The duo got into a scuffle at the fighter hotel. However, Topuria's teammates showed composure in restraining the fighter and pulling him away.
The altercation was a result of Pimblett's insensitive comments about Georgia almost a year back. 'The Baddy' had joked about the Russo-Georgian war during a Twitter back-and-forth with UFC lightweight Guram Kutateladze. The 27-year-old justified the oppression of "dumb" georgians after the 'Georgian Viking' called him out.
The Liverpudlian faced huge backlash on social media from Georgians, including fighters like Ilia Topuria and Liana Jojua. Topuria was even sure that he would lose composure if he saw Pimblett in person. The 25-year old recently told MMA Junkie in Spanish:
“And what can I say about someone who pokes fun at that? He’s an idiot and immature. If he thinks I’m going to take a step back when I see him, then he’s badly mistaken. He needs to pray that we don’t cross paths because I’ll go crazy.”
Watch Ilia Topuria's interview with MMA Junkie below: