At the UFC 298 pre-fight presser, ahead of his bout against Mexican-American star Henry Cejudo, Merab Dvalishvili pulled out a Mexican flag and claimed he would be representing the Mexican people in the bout. This was seen as Dvalishvili taking a shot at Cejudo, who was born to Mexican parents, and trying to attract some of his Mexican fanbase.

And this incident was largely forgotten after ‘The Machine’s unanimous decision victory over the former Olympic champion in their no. 1 bantamweight title contender bout last week. However,  it seems Dvalishvili is serious about Mexico and the Mexican fans as he attended UFC Fight Night Mexico last night where he got into a heated face-off.

Merab Dvalishvili’s unexpected encounter

Merab Dvalishvili was in attendance at the Arena CDMX to watch UFC Fight Night: Moreno vs. Royval 2 in Mexico City on Saturday. The #1 bantamweight title contender made a splash by wearing a poncho emblazoned with the Mexican flag to show his love and appreciation for the country and the Mexican fans. But he was up for an encounter even he was not prepared for.

During the event, the good-natured Dvalishvili, always up for a joke, was approached by OnlyFans model Francia James and engaged in an intense face-off with the Latina who has previously mock-faced-off against boxing icon Floyd Mayweather. And the model certainly represented herself well as Dvalishvili could not hold eye contact with her, and even backed off jokingly as if he was intimidated by her. And fans, of course, were delighted.

Fans react to their face-off

Fans took to the comments section of Francia James’s Instagram post to let their thoughts on the subject known. Here are a few of their comments.

One fan wanted her to face off against Conor McGregor next:

“I need a Francia and Conor McGregor face off”

Another felt that her Latina energy was no match for the Georgian:

“She looked dead in his soul and said “I’m Latina baby we never lose” 😂 and I know the feeling. Latians are tough. Just stay on their good sides”

One fan felt Dvalishvili was intimidated by her beauty:

“He got too overwhelmed by your hotness”

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Another joked that it was a great achievement that she won a face-off against a professional fighter:

“nice you won the face off with the ufc guy”

Another felt this was a win-win for everyone:

“Everyone won this face off!”

Another thought Dvalishvili was not suitable for James:

“This boy not your type”

Merab Dvalishvili is on a well-deserved vacation at the moment. However, his next fight will be for the title and thus will be the most important fight in his career. His opponent, however, remains to be seen and will be determined next month as champion Sean O’Malley defends his title against Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera at UFC 299. What are your predictions for UFC 299?

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