{"id":369992,"date":"2025-12-25T01:42:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-25T01:42:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/369992\/"},"modified":"2025-12-25T01:42:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-25T01:42:07","slug":"merab-dvalishvili-ilia-topuria-link-up-for-training-in-madrid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/369992\/","title":{"rendered":"Merab Dvalishvili, Ilia Topuria link up for training in Madrid"},"content":{"rendered":"

Merab Dvalishvili<\/a> and Ilia Topuria<\/a> look to be levelling up their friendship to close out the year.<\/p>\n

With Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) taking a hiatus from competition<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

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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.<\/p>\n

Check out some of the highlights from their ongoing pow-wow below (via Instagram<\/a>):<\/p>\n

In the posts, Dvalishvili still has bruising on his face from his bantamweight title loss<\/a> to Petr Yan<\/a> 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<\/a> award.<\/p>\n

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Topuria, for his part, hasn’t competed since his knockout<\/a> of Charles Oliveira<\/a> 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<\/a> vs. Paddy Pimblett<\/a> for the interim 155-pound title at UFC 324<\/a> on Jan. 24 in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Merab Dvalishvili, Ilia Topuria link up for training in Madrid<\/a><\/p>\n