Merab Dvalishvili Says He's Living 'American Dream,' But Journey Wasn't Easy

Merab Dvalishvili began his UFC career with two consecutive losses before winning an astounding 14 straight fights (and counting), putting him among the very best MMA fighters ever ... a fairy tale The Machine describes as the "American Dream."

"This is unbelievable," Dvalishvili told TMZ Sports ahead of his UFC 323 main event fight against Petr Yan.

"I am the American Dream. Now, when I see other Georgians also willing to come here to America, they think they can do like I do, but it's very hard. It's not only hard work, you have to get lucky, too, and I'm lucky. I'm lucky."

Despite being the bantamweight champ, and the number three-ranked pound-for-pound fighter in the promotion, Merab, who is only 34, says he's still improving, as scary as that sounds.

"This is just the beginning for me. I'm still getting better, and I'm only growing up. I am super motivated. Yeah, I have a great life now, but I still don't enjoy this great life. I'm just staying humble and still working super hard and I'm still living in a humble way."

As for Merab's fight against Petr, it's not the first time they've shared the Octagon.

"It's a challenge because Petr Yan must be very motivated because he already lost against me and I beat him all five rounds, and I was the underdog in that fight. Now he's the underdog, and he will be super motivated. I am already relaxed, and this is a little bit challenging."

Dvalishvili won the March 2023 fight by unanimous decision, defeating the former champ convincingly.

If Merab wins, it'll be a history making effort ... as he'll become the first UFC title holder to defend their belt four times in one calendar year.

Speaking of 2025, it'll be the last time MD fights before the ball drops ... but in true Dvalishvili fashion, he's raring to go in 2026, vowing to scrap four times!