Merab Dvalishvili hopes to train with Mark Zuckerberg after winning UFC 298

Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) Merab Dvalishvili hopes to train with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in the future after the tech billionaire attended his weekend victory over Henry Cejudo at UFC 298, Daily Mail reported.

After Saturday’s victory, the No 3 ranked UFC bantamweight revealed that he had been in touch with Zuckerberg ahead of the UFC 298 event in Anaheim and shared that the Facebook founder had informed him that he would be attending his fight.

"We are following each other on Instagram, and he did text me before the fight that he was coming. He told me 'Don't tell no one.' I can keep a secret, of course,” Dvalishvili said. "I knew he was there, and once I was walking out I saw him, of course, I said hello to him in person."

Additionally, the Georgian fighter revealed that he plans to train with Zuckerberg as the 39-year-old tech mogul previously made headlines for his martial arts training after Tesla owner Elon Musk challenged him to a mixed martial arts (MMA) fight.

"We [were] planning to train together and he got injured and he's still recovering," Dvalishvili shared. "When we become training partners, we will come more confident. When he understands my [training] style and I understand his style, I will bring him in my corner."

He added: "And no rush, because I'm here for [a] long time. I'm only getting better and better."

Zuckerberg watched as the 33-year-old pro fighter dominated ex-champion Cejudo in three rounds. The MMA fighter was also seen talking to Zuckerberg.

One memorable moment was when Dvalishvili carried Cejudo across the Octagon and slammed him in front of Zuckerberg, who also suited up and joined Alexander Volkanovski's corner for the main event.