Islam Makhachev, Merab Dvalishvili Talk About Their Custom Venum Shorts
Lightweight Champ Islam Makhachev And Bantamweight Champ Merab Dvalishvili Talk About The Inspirations Behind Their Custom Fight Kits
In 2024, UFC and Venum opened the doors on custom shorts, which featured on some of the sport’s signature moments last year. For all three of Alex Pereira’s title-defending knockouts, “Poatan” donned a multicolored kit that honored his ancestry and the Pataxó tribe. When Max Holloway scored his last-second knockout to capture the BMF title, he did so in floral shorts honoring his Hawaiian roots. Paddy Pimblett rocked some orange shorts as a callback to his Cage Warrior days, Dricus Du Plessis wore shorts celebrating the South African flag, and Dustin Poirier’s floral number added another pop of color to 2024’s Fight of the Year contender against Islam Makhachev.
The trend continues into 2025 when lightweight champ Makhachev and bantamweight champ Merab Davlishvili debut their custom shorts as they defend their respective titles at UFC 311: Makhachev vs Moicano.
For Makhachev, the kit is decorated with an outline of Pabaku, a mountain close to Dagestan. The shorts also feature a dagger and yellow trim. The champ, who received the shorts on Tuesday ahead of his fight with Renato Moicano, enjoyed seeing the new kit.
“It’s going to give me energy,” Makhachev told UFC.com. I like the shorts. I keep all my shorts. I give my gloves, t-shirts, but shorts, I keep.”
Dvalishvili went a similar direction for his shorts. “The Machine” will wear white trunks with red trim featuring the same red crosses that decorate the Georgian flag.
A phrase written in Georgian appears on the back of the shorts and translates to: “A glorious death is better than a miserable life.”
“I was so happy, so excited for my custom shorts,” Dvalishvili said. “It represents me, and it represents Georgia. I love everything about it. Today, I checked the comments on social media, and everybody, even not Georgians, they like it too, which is very good, very nice.”
Both shorts will be on display when Makhachev and Dvalishvili walk into the Octagon at UFC 311: Makhschev vs Moicano on January 18. Fans can get their own pair of the featured shorts at UFCStore.com.
