Merab Dvalishvili gifted 1 million by Georgian government after UFC title victory

Merab Dvalishvili has received a generous gift following his historic win at UFC 306.

At one of the biggest events in UFC history, ‘The Machine’ was able to dominate Sean O’Malley and become the second ever Georgian to become a champion in the promotion. For his achievements in the sport, the newly-crowned bantamweight king was honored by his home country.

Shortly after securing UFC gold in his first attempt, Merab Dvalishvili was gifted 1 million Georgian Lari for his performance at the Las Vegas Sphere.

However, Dvalishvili won’t be splashing the cash on himself. Instead, he will be pumping the funds — which almost equates to $370,000 — back into his country.

The 33-year-old hopes to help several charities and will invest into the combat sports world in Georgia in order to speed up the process of finding the next Georgian MMA superstar.

🚨 Government of Georgia gifted Merab Dvalishvili a million Georgian Lari for becoming the UFC Champion. (approx. $367,666)
Merab Dvalishvili said that he will give this money to charities and develop the MMA Teams and BJJ/Judo/Wrestling clubs in order to raise more UFC… pic.twitter.com/IkjJQUKPMp
— Giorgi Kokiashvili 🇬🇪 (@iHeartGeorgius1) September 30, 2024

As the sport continues to reach new heights, several UFC stars are rightfully being acknowledged by those in power in their respective countries.

Khabib Nurmagomedov has been a prime example of that. Following his victory over Conor McGregor, ‘The Eagle’ recieved a handsome reward from Vladimir Putin.

Merab Dvalishvili is the latest to be shown love from his country, though Dvalishvili’s idea to reinvest the money back into Georgia has gone down well with supporters.

Who is Merab Dvalishvili fighting next?

Eager to get back into the thick of the action, Merab Dvalishvili announced that he would be willing to give Sean O’Malley an instant rematch for the title.

Dvalishvili named the UFC 309 card in November as an ideal destination for the matchup, though that won’t be happening next.

Sean O’Malley announced that he is due surgery and will likely be out until mid-2025.

If that is the case, all signs point to Merab Dvalishvili taking on Umar Nurmagomedov next. The pair have been exchanging words online as a potential title clash between the two begins to heat up.

I smacked Petr Yan's a** like a b****, I carried Henry Cejudo like a baby, I kissed Sean O'Malley like his daddy BUT I will simply SMASH Umar if the UFC puts him in front of me next. 💯
— Merab “The Machine” Dvalishvili (@MerabDvalishvil) September 28, 2024

Merab Dvalishvili gifted 1 million by Georgian government after UFC title victory