Georgian PM, Parliament Speaker to nominate MMA wrestler Merab Dvalishvili for state award
In his remarks, Kobakhidze noted Dvalishvili had gone through a “very difficult” path towards this success. Photo: Government Administration
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Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Monday announced a decision to nominate Georgian mixed martial arts wrestler Merab Dvalishvili for the “highest state award” after his UFC bantamweight crown victory on Sunday.
In his remarks, Kobakhidze noted Dvalishvili had gone through a “very difficult” path towards this success.
I want to congratulate Merab Dvalishvili on his great success. We all followed this important match. It should be noted that for the second year already, a Georgian has won the UFC [tournament], which is a unique achievement and speaks of the special sports talent of our country and the talent of Georgians”, the PM said.
“We continue the tradition and together with the Speaker of the Parliament [Shalva Papuashvili] we made a decision to nominate Merab Dvalishvili for the highest state award”, he concluded.
The 33-year-old Georgian earned the title with a unanimous decision of the judges on his win over Sean O'Malley.