There are always heated arguments between World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) and Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fighters while comparing the two combat spaces. The no. 1 in UFC Bantamweight rankings, Merab Dvalishvili recently joined the debate and called WWE 'like a movie' and WWE fighters as 'actors'. (More Sports News)
'No disrespect to anyone. It's like a movie, they plan whatever people want them to do. They are good athletes, doing good flip-flops. They are doing good acting by punching each other but that's it man', said Dvalishvili when asked to share his honest opinion on WWE in a social media exchange during a media interaction.
The 33-year-old Bantamweight fighter explained his answer, citing that WWE is different from MMA, which is a real sport. MMA fighters train for months and months to cut weights and make weights as well to compete in the weight-class category. The knockouts in MMA are real but the case is different in WWE.
"We (currently) have 12 weight classes in UFC. We are cutting weight to compete. Some people cut 10 kilos, some even 50 kilos. We are almost dying to make weight. Little things can change everything. It's a crazy life. We all see knockouts in MMA that are real but WWE, whatever people can say, they can't do this", said Georgia-born Dvalishvili.
Many UFC fighters have competed in the WWE battlefield and vice-versa. CM Punk and Brock Lesnar are two very recent and familiar names. Jack Swagger moved to the octagon in 2019 shifting a huge fan base from WWE. Alberto Del Rio, Matt Riddle, Bobby Lashley, Shayna Baszler, Dan Severn and Ronda Rousey are some other names who have rocked in both WWE and UFC as well.
Ken Shamrock is another legendary figure in both combat spaces. The UFC Hall of Famer was among the first men and women to compete in professional wrestling. He had a record of 28 wins, 17 defeats and two ties in the UFC.
Merab Dvalishvili competes in the Bantamweight division of the UFC and is a professional MMA fighter who is going to fight the defending champion Sean O'Malley in his much-anticipated next fight. He is in India for the promotions of his next bout.
UFC and WWE are two of the biggest combat sports promoters for live events and broadcasts. In September of last year, the two companies merged to form TKO.
UFC's parent company, Endeavor, had previously announced in April 2023 that it would acquire WWE's professional wrestling brand. As a result, both the UFC and WWE would become one publicly traded company.
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