UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili expressed interest in potentially competing in high-level grappling tournaments like ADCC, but emphasized his current focus remains on MMA.
Speaking on Jake Shields’ podcast, Dvalishvili said he has “so much respect for jiu-jitsu people” who train grappling full-time. While open to challenging himself in submission grappling matches, especially against other MMA stars, the UFC champ said it’s difficult to dedicate time to pure grappling given his MMA commitments.
Shields, a former ADCC competitor himself, suggested Dvalishvili’s wrestling-heavy style could translate well to ADCC rules. Unlike other jiu-jitsu competitions, ADCC penalizes guard pulling, which could favor Dvalishvili’s takedown-focused approach.
“I would like to try,” Dvalishvili said of potentially competing in ADCC or similar events. “But you know it’s just hard when there’s so much MMA.”
For now, the Georgian star remains focused on defending his newly-won UFC bantamweight title. However, he left the door open to testing his grappling skills against high-level jiu-jitsu specialists in the future as his career progresses.
Dvalishvili’s grappling credentials include extensive backgrounds in judo, sambo and wrestling prior to transitioning to MMA. He currently holds the record for most takedowns in UFC bantamweight history.
