Merab Dvalishvili and Ilia Topuria look to be levelling up their friendship to close out the year.
With Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) taking a hiatus from competition and the turmoil of his personal life being examined online and in various forms of media, his good friend Dvalishvili (21-2 MMA, 14-3 UFC) has flown overseas to Spain for a visit.
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It’s not a quiet one, either. Both men have been sharing images and videos online over the past few days, from training together to taking a ride in luxury vehicles in Madrid.
Check out some of the highlights from their ongoing pow-wow below (via Instagram):
In the posts, Dvalishvili still has bruising on his face from his bantamweight title loss to Petr Yan in the UFC 323 main event earlier this month. Despite the defeat, Dvalishvili’s historic year earned him MMA Junkie’s 2025 Male Fighter of the Year award.
Topuria, for his part, hasn’t competed since his knockout of Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 in June to claim the vacant lightweight belt. He was expected to return in early 2026, but his personal issues led to self-imposed time off, setting up Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett for the interim 155-pound title at UFC 324 on Jan. 24 in Las Vegas.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Merab Dvalishvili, Ilia Topuria link up for training in Madrid
