Merab Dvalishvili left fans confused and concerned during his post-fight interview at UFC 311.
The bantamweight champion showed off his incredible cardio to defeat Umar Nurmagomedov, break Georges St-Pierre's takedown record and defend his title for the first time on Saturday night at the Intuit Dome in California.
Merab Dvalishvili's career at the top of MMA appears to be just beginning, but he also appears to be looking ahead to retirement.
'The Machine' made a wild comment to Joe Rogan, leaving fight fans concerned about the 135-pound champion's fighting future.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Merab Dvalishvili retired?
As soon as his fight's UFC judges, including former MMA star Chris Leben, scored the fight 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 in his favor, Dvalishvili stormed over to UFC boss Dana White to thank him for everything. he's done with his career.
He eventually spoke to Rogan about the fighting and injury issues before hinting at his retirement.
“I'm so proud of myself.” said Dvalishvili.
“I can retire today and die happy.
“And once again, my country, I love you, Georgia! America, I love you too!”
UFC fans were left confused by Dvalishvili's “retirement” comment, with some wondering if they had just seen the Georgian fighter compete in the Octagon for the final time.
One fan said: “Did Merab just retire? Lamao.”
Another asked: “Did Merab just retire?”
A third person wondered: “Did Merab just retire???? Or was that a figure of speech?”
Someone else commented: “Merab didn't just retire, did he????”
Dana White suggests Sean O'Malley's title shot
Dvalishvili made it look easy when he defeated Sean O'Malley to become champion at UFC 306 last September.
'Suga' is currently recovering from hip surgery, but he could return in a title fight later this year.
Ahead of UFC 311, Dana White upset fans by suggesting Dvalishvili vs. O'Malley II could be next.
“I think he's going to keep a close eye on this fight and potentially fight the winner,” the UFC boss said when asked about O'Malley during an interview with Jim Rome.
White was then asked how quickly O'Malley's comeback fight could come together.
He added: “We'll see. I don't know yet how things will go on Saturday.”
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