Merab Dvalishvili Ethnicity, Nationality and Religion

Merab Dvalishvili‘s rise to the top of the MMA world has been nothing short of a miracle. From working as a construction worker, which is pretty well documented, to his journey to becoming a UFC champion, there’s no doubt that ‘The Machine’ is living the best life he ever has. As popular as Dvalishvili has become in the UFC, fans may not be aware of his personal details.

Dvalishvili is quite secretive in nature and guards his private life pretty well. The fighting community has often wondered about the bantamweight’s roots and origins. After all, ‘The Machine’ is often seen donning the American and Georgian colors during his appearances in the Octagon. So, let’s find out where Dvalishvili’s roots lie.

Where is Merab Dvalishvili from?

Merab Dvalishvili was born in 1991 and he was welcomed into the world in a region under the USSR. Born in the city of Tbilisi, Georgia, the bantamweight champion started training in the traditional Georgian martial arts of qartuli chidaoba and khridoli before taking to combat sambo and judo. In terms of training, ‘The Machine’ has an extensive background across various combat sports.

While he was born Georgian, ‘The Machine’ moved to the United States when he was just 21 years old, and trained under the guidance of Ray Longo and Matt Serra. In 2014, Dvalishvili began his career as a professional mixed martial artist. But misfortune clouded his early career as he lost in his pro-debut at Ring of Combat 47. But where does his national allegiance lie? Let’s find out.

What is Merab Dvalishvili’s Nationality? Does he have dual citizenship?

While the 34-year-old bantamweight champion was born a Soviet citizen, he became a Georgian citizen after the USSR disintegrated in 1991. Later in life, Merab Dvalishvili moved to the United States at the age of 21 to pursue a career in mixed martial arts, and so far, he has lived in the States for well over a decade.

As such, reports claim that the bantamweight champion has both Georgian and American citizenship. Nevertheless, he loves both countries dearly as he makes it a point to carry both the American flag and the Georgian flag to show appreciation for his homeland and for the country he has adopted and thrived in.

However, despite his long stay in the country, Dvalishvili does not seem to have taken American citizenship and continues to be a citizen of the Republic of Georgia. But fight fans have one more doubt regarding Dvalishvili, which is his religious affiliation. Let’s take a dive into the spiritual aspect of Merab Dvalishvili’s life.

Is Merab a Muslim or Christian?

Merab Dvalishvili, contrary to many persistent rumors, is not a Muslim. The bantamweight champion is a devout Eastern Orthodox Christian and has affiliations with the Georgian Orthodox Church, which claims apostolic origins and traces itself back to Saint Andrew, one of Jesus Christ’s twelve original disciples.

‘The Machine’ seems to be a practicing Christian, having posted pictures of him visiting, lighting candles, and talking with the congregation in a Georgian church. Merab Dvalishvili has mentioned previously that God is the only thing that he fears while adding referee Mark Goddard to that list in a light-hearted manner. “I’m only scared of God, and every time I see [Goddard]… I panic,” the 34-year-old stated during an old MMA Hour episode.

Back to his fighting career, Merab Dvalishvili will be putting his bantamweight championship title up for grabs for the first time at UFC 311. Taking on Umar Nurmagomedov, ‘The Machine’ has a chance to hand the Dagestan native his first professional loss. Do you believe Dvalishvili will get the win or will he lose his belt without registering a single successful defense? Drop your comments below.