Anytime, anyplace — Merab Dvalishvili lives by this motto day in and day out. The undisputed UFC bantamweight champion, renowned as one of the best wrestlers the promotion has ever seen, often draws comparisons to the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov. But could he stand his ground against a man twice his size, and that too a 280-pound Olympic gold medalist?
Merab Dvalishvili recently tested his mettle against Gable Steveson, the heavyweight wrestling phenom who conquered the Tokyo Olympics. And Merab didn’t just hold his own — he thrived. The bantamweight king’s performance was impressive, though Gable appeared to hold back the entire time. Still, ‘The Machine’ showed why he’s one of the best, earning plenty of respect from the fans.
Standing 6’1″ and weighing over 265 pounds, Steveson is double the size of ‘The Machine,’ but that didn’t stop him from wrestling with the heavyweight behemoth. From the video shared by Championship Rounds, we see the bantamweight champion having a playful wrestling session on the beach with Gable Steveson.
This isn’t the first time ‘The Machine’ has pulled off antics like this. Merab Dvalishvili is known for his unpredictability. One moment, you’ll find him jumping into a frozen river without any gear, and the next, you’ll see him climbing a steep slope.
Known for his exceptional cardio, Merab Dvalishvili rag-dolled Umar Nurmagomedov to retain his bantamweight title at UFC 311 the last time we saw him. Now, the champ is enjoying some well-deserved rest before his next outing, which is rumored to be a rematch against Sean O’Malley.
Merab Dvalishvili grappling with Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson
@TakedownShop #UFC #MMApic.twitter.com/rIR9PinDDV
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) March 30, 2025
In this latest stunt, ‘The Machine’ offered some advice to the American wrestler about striking before stating that he should get serious as he is still young. Looking at this, the fans couldn’t hold back their laugh. Let’s have a look at what the fans have to say.
Merab Dvalishvili fools no one as he wrestles with Gable Steveson
Starting off, a fan emphasized that the size differences make it look like Khabib Nurmagomedov is wrestling with a full-grown bear: “This like Khabib wrestling the Bear.” Furthermore, another social media user asserted that both ‘The Machine’ and ‘The Golden Gable’ are his favorite athletes at this moment: “this is fun, two of my favorite athletes right now.” It must be noted that both the stars have been in the headlines recently due to their escapades. Dvalishvili stopped Nurmagomedov, while Steveson was dethroned by Wyatt Hendrickson at the NCAA finals in a huge upset.
Well, another fan added that Merab Dvalishvili has no chance against Gable Steveson: “Merab has no chance here way too small against Olympic wrestler.” A curious fan added, “Dude’s an animal. I wonder how he’d do in MMA.” Well, after his NCAA final loss against Hendrickson, the 24-year-old Olympic Gold medalist is looking to make his MMA debut, and with Jon Jones by his side. Sooner or later we might witness ‘The Golden Gable’ in the heavyweight division.
A social media user even asserted that Khabib Nurmagomedov wouldn’t be able to take on this duo, “Even Khabib wouldn’t had a chance against these guy.” Last but not least, a fan sarcastically asked to bring in Wyatt Hendrickson to teach Steveson how to wrestle, “Get Wyatt out there and show him how it’s done”
With his close relationship with the MMA champs, will Gable Steveson make an entry to the UFC? What are your thoughts on the incident? State your opinion in the comments below.
The post “This Like Khabib Wrestling the Bear” – Fans React as Gable Steveson’s Training Clip With UFC Champ Goes Viral appeared first on EssentiallySports.