UFC News & FeaturesMerab Dvalishvili Recalls Nearly Drowning When He Was 6 Years Old
Merab
Dvalishvili has always been a different breed.
Dvalishvili is known for his wild antics in training, like jumping head first into a frozen lake. However, Dvalishvili’s persona isn’t a recent development. The UFC bantamweight champ recently recalled jumping into a river at 6 years old without knowing how to swim. The fast current swept Dvalishvili into deep waters, where he started to drown. The Georgian held on to a large rock and was saved by one of his brothers.
“My brother was swimming in the river. I jumped in the river and make fun of him [that] I can do same,” Dvalishvili told Daniel Cormier. “And then the water take me to deep water, the river was fast. River just throw me and I was under the water. And then my other brother saw me…I grabbed one of the big rocks… Soon after I learned how to swim. I didn’t know [before that]. I was crazy.”
Dvalishvili is scheduled to defend his bantamweight title against Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320 on Oct. 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Dvalishvili won his title against Sean O’Malley last year and has since defended it against Umar Nurmagomedov and in a rematch with O’Malley. Meanwhile, Sandhagen has only lost to Nurmagomedov in his last five outings.
Dvalishvili is known for his wild antics in training, like jumping head first into a frozen lake. However, Dvalishvili’s persona isn’t a recent development. The UFC bantamweight champ recently recalled jumping into a river at 6 years old without knowing how to swim. The fast current swept Dvalishvili into deep waters, where he started to drown. The Georgian held on to a large rock and was saved by one of his brothers.
Dvalishvili Admits ‘I Was Crazy’
“My brother was swimming in the river. I jumped in the river and make fun of him [that] I can do same,” Dvalishvili told Daniel Cormier. “And then the water take me to deep water, the river was fast. River just throw me and I was under the water. And then my other brother saw me…I grabbed one of the big rocks… Soon after I learned how to swim. I didn’t know [before that]. I was crazy.”
Dvalishvili is scheduled to defend his bantamweight title against Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320 on Oct. 4 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Dvalishvili won his title against Sean O’Malley last year and has since defended it against Umar Nurmagomedov and in a rematch with O’Malley. Meanwhile, Sandhagen has only lost to Nurmagomedov in his last five outings.
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