UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili continues to blow everyone’s mind with his cardio.
Many have wondered how Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) can push such an incredible pace seamlessly, and famed coach Firas Zahabi believes it’s simply natural. Dvalishvili’s cardio was on full display when he retained his bantamweight title by rallying to outlast Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311.
After seeing that, Zahabi compared “The Machine’s” cardio to undefeated boxing legend Floyd Mayweather.
“His conditioning is just unreal,” Zahabi said on his YouTube channel. “I’ve seen guys get caught on drugs and EPO, who didn’t have cardio like him. I’m not saying he’s on EPO. I’m just saying, like, even if you are on EPO, you just don’t have that level of cardio.
“Like there’s only one other guy I’ve ever seen with cardio like that, and I will tell you it’s Mayweather. When he sits on the stool, he doesn’t even breathe. And I’m not saying any of these guys are doping. I don’t think Mayweather dopes at all or Merab is doping. I’m just saying it’s genetic.”
Zahabi explains that Dvalishvili’s cardio is not something you can teach or train for.
“You can go and do their workout, you can go and try to copy them. It’s useless,” Zahabi said. “It’s totally useless. It’s got to be genetic. It can’t be, ‘This guy is doing a secret formula.’ That would really blow my mind. That would really shock me. No, it’s genetic. Just how the length of your arm is genetic, just like your reflexes are partly genetic.
“You can always improve your reflex, you can always improve your cardio, but you have a limit. The size of your arteries, how big they are, your VO2 max. You have a genetic ceiling. You have a genetic potential. His potential is great, so he’s accentuated by training. He’s made himself (have) even better cardio because he’s training. You’re not going to get that level of cardio by following his routine.”
