Ilia Topuria and Merab Dvalishvili have a lot more in common than their Georgian roots or their shared training sessions. One of those tethers is their complicated relationships with romantic partners. Topuria is in the midst of a divorce row gone viral, while Dvalishvili, who’s single, names one of his biggest life goals to be getting a wife.

When they come together, it’s guaranteed to create a buzz online. That’s exactly what happened when the two decided to cool off the hectic fighting year with a relaxed getaway and year-ending spars. As Dvalishvili posted a viral clip of the two cruising in a car vibing to Antonio Banderas’ Canción Del Mariachi, he joined the comments.

Merab Dvalishvili turns tense Topuria divorce saga into a light chuckle

Bringing up the ‘El Matador’s divorce episode with Giorgina Uzcategui, while drawing comparisons between the UFC champs, one comment stood out among the rest: “Both looking for a wife 😂”. However, Dvalishvili took no offense, as he played right into the joke, reacting with a simple laughing emoji.

Jokes aside, Topuria’s holidays have been scarred with a rough patch in his marital life, which took a wild turn when Uzcategui filed for a divorce tied to personal reasons, involving one of their children. Consequently, to focus on his personal life and kids, as Topuria revealed in a public statement, the LW put his belt on hold for the first quarter of 2026.

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While that drew sharp criticism from the public, accusing him of ducking a title fight with Arman Tsarukyan, one of the top lightweight contenders and one of the most vocal challengers, most fighters have been supportive of Topuria. Messages from Max Holloway and Sean O’Malley stood out. Even Paddy Pimblett, vying for the interim belt next year in UFC 324 against Justin Gaethje, has extended an empathetic message to his rival.

While Topuria navigates his professional pressures, his friend Merab Dvalishvili is dealing with his own career crossroads, coming fresh off a devastating rematch with Petr Yan that disfigured his face and dispirited the fighter. After losing his bantamweight belt, Dvalishvili enjoyed a reset Hawaii trip, where he called out for a trilogy. However, as the year seeps into the late December lull, that is not the top of his concerns.

In fact, outside of training, Dvalishvili’s top priority is looking for a wife, which might even be harder than defending his title four times in a year. In his own words, his lifestyle is simple: “I don’t have a strict lifestyle. I still enjoy with my friends… I enjoy life… Other than looking for a wife, I don’t have anything else [to do].”

His search has been unsuccessful so far. However, unlike Topuria’s divorce fiasco, Dvalishvili has a fix.

Merab Dvalishvili set up a dating profile

Not long before UFC 323, Merab Dvalishvili decided to get serious with his search for a romantic partner. Setting up to create a dating profile for himself, Dvalishvili joined Henry Cejudo and Kamaru Usman on the Pound 4 Pound show. You can catch a glimpse of their hilarious interaction on the channel’s official X page.

Adding information on the dating app, Cejudo and Usman quizzed Dvalishvili on his height, simple pleasures, skills, and more. Whether that initiative has amounted to any success is debatable. Beyond this, Dvalishvili has appeared on numerous other online dating skits, including with Nina Marie Daniele.

However, with no clear success in sight, Dvalishvili has turned his Christmas focus into a sparring session alongside Ilia Topuria. In a recent clip, Topuria shook off his rust against singer Omar Montes, and Dvalishvili sparred with Pablo Motos. Even while on hiatus, Topuria looks fierce and sharp.

In the end, a viral joke and a casual getaway revealed how Topuria and Dvalishvili are using friendship and humor to navigate very different personal crossroads away from the Octagon. What do you make of the crossover? Share your thoughts.