Merab Dvalishvili opens up on training with fellow UFC champion Weili Zhang: “She’s very strong like a man brother”

UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili has given his thoughts on training with fellow champion Weili Zhang.

Last weekend, Weili Zhang made a real statement. She was able to dominate and defeat Tatiana Suarez, successfully retaining her UFC strawweight championship in the process. Now, we’re at a point whereby Weili is widely considered to be one of the best fighters not just in women’s MMA, but in mixed martial arts as a whole.

RELATED: UFC legend thinks Valentina Shevchenko vs. Zhang Weili could be retirement fight

Moving forward, it’ll be interesting to see who Zhang takes on next. There have been rumblings that she could go on to battle Valentina Shevchenko in a superfight, which would be a huge bout for her legacy. Either way, though, she continues to impress the masses – and it seems like she’s far from done.

In footage released by Israel Adesanya at cageside, Merab Dvalishvili spoke about when he trained with Zhang and what his experience was like.

Dvalishvili discusses training with Zhang

“I actually trained with Weili,” Dvalishvili began. “She’s very strong like a man brother.”

Adesanya responded, “Did you see when she lifted up Francis [Ngannou] at the [UFC Performance Institute]? She high crotched him and lifted him up. I tried to lift up Francis last week, that’s a big man, heavy.”

Dvalishvili continued, “I like training with the girls, she’s small and I try to go light. I felt her power, like I tried but I couldn’t even do anything.”

Quotes via MMA Mania

What do you make of Weili Zhang’s rise to the top of women’s mixed martial arts? Do you expect her to go down in history as one of the best female fighters ever? If it was up to you, who would she take on next? Let us know your thoughts on this, BJPENN Nation!