Merab Dvalishvili Recalls Nearly Drowning When He Was 6 Years Old

Merab Dvalishvili has always been a different breed.

Dvalishvili is known for his wild antics in training, like jumping head first into a frozen lake. However, Dvalishvili’s persona isn’t a recent development. The UFC bantamweight champ recently recalled jumping into a river at 6 years old without knowing how to swim. The fast current swept Dvalishvili into deep waters, where he started to drown. The Georgian held on to a large rock and was saved by one of his brothers.

Dvalishvili Admits ‘I Was Crazy’

“My brother was swimming in the river. I jumped in the river and make fun of him [that] I can do same,” Dvalishvili told Daniel Cormier. “And then the water take me to deep water, the river was…