When Merab Dvalishvili walks out to the Octagon, two things always stand out: his relentless engine and the wool hat perched proudly on his head. With each win, fourteen straight and counting, the hat has become part of his identity, as recognizable as his takedown-heavy style. But as he prepares for another massive test at UFC 323 against Petr Yan, where he could become the first UFC champion in history to defend a belt four times in a single calendar year, fans have renewed an old question: Why does ‘The Machine’ wear that hat?

And even more specifically, is it the same thing that Khabib Nurmagomedov made famous? The resemblance is close enough that new fans often confuse the two. But as Merab Dvalishvili has explained before, the hat isn’t just clothing, it’s culture. And the story behind it reveals a shared heritage and a bond that stretches across the Caucasus mountains!

Significance of Merab Dvalishvili’s Papakha 

Merab Dvalishvili hails from the Caucasus mountain country of Georgia. A proud Georgian, his life is steeped in the customs and traditions of his home country, and he even has a tattoo of the Georgian flag emblazoned on his chest.

Because of this geographical proximity, the Georgians share certain cultural affinities with other cultural groups and communities of the Caucasus region, including those from Dagestan. And one clear symbol of their shared heritage is the traditional Georgian cap that Dvalishvili sometimes sports.

The cap, called ‘Papakha’ is a high wool hat traditionally made from sheepskin, that is worn by the men in the Caucasus to protect against the extreme cold in the region. Dvalishvili wears the cap to express his affinity to his homeland and its customs, the same reason that MMA icon Khabib Nurmagomedov wore it.

And this is not the only thing common between the former lightweight champion and Dvalishvili. Both have similar fighting styles, coming from a grappling background, having started training in combat sambo as children. However, despite these and other similarities, ‘The Machine’ has reiterated that he is a different fighter from the GOAT contender.

Distinguishing Merab’s Georgian style from the Dagestani tradition

The comparisons were inevitable. Even the fighting styles, grappling-heavy, pressure-oriented, relentless, didn’t help separate the two in the eyes of casual viewers. Merab Dvalishvili understood the confusion, but he made sure to clarify the cultural nuance behind the hat and behind their shared roots. As he explained at the UFC 278 post-fight press conference:

“We are from same area, we are Caucasians. There is the Caucasus mountains and then Khabib is other side. We are like same culture people, only difference we have; they are Muslim, we are Christian, but we are very close people.”

That line says everything. The papakha connects them, but it doesn’t make them identical. Dagestani papakhas tend to be taller, fluffier, and often lighter in color, creating the iconic silhouette fans saw on ‘The Eagle’ for years. Georgian papakhas, meanwhile, can vary in height and density depending on the region, often carrying subtle differences in texture and pattern. 

As such, Merab Dvalishvili’s version reflects Georgian mountain tradition, not Dagestani. And beyond the hat, the bantamweight champion has always insisted that he is his own fighter. 

While he respects Nurmagomedov deeply, he refuses to live in anyone’s shadow as he stated during the press conference, ”Can you copy me and fight like I fight? Everybody is different, you know. I cannot copy Khabib. I think Khabib is special, he’s different, he’s strong, and I mean he’s a legend.”

That’s why ‘The Machine’s papakha isn’t just a hat. It’s a bridge between old traditions and new arenas, between mountain villages and UFC fight weeks, between generations of Caucasian warriors and a modern champion rewriting MMA history!