UFC Champion Forced to Work Construction After Forgetting to Pay Tax on Winnings
UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili once had to return to work in construction after he forgot to pay tax on fight winnings.
In the early hours of Sunday morning, popular former two-weight UFC champions Alex Pereira will attempt to reclaim his light heavyweight title in a rematch with current champion Magomed Ankalaev.
After their first meeting ended as a close decision in favour of the Russian fighter, the rematch is one of the biggest fights in Mixed Martial Arts, and therefore headlines a card made up of several exciting fights.
In the co-main event, bantamweight champion Dvalishvili will make the walk to the octagon for the third time this year as he faces top contender Cory Sandhagen having beaten Sean O'Malley to claim the belt in September last year.
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But in the build-up to Sunday's fight, the Georgian has admitted that, despite remaining active throughout his whole UFC career, he was once forced to continue working a job outside of the octagon due to a failure to pay tax of his fight earnings.
After making his UFC debut back in December 2017, Dvalishvili has quickly established himself as one of the most beloved champions in the sport due to his relentless pressure and outgoing personality.
Unfortunately, this chaotic and care-free personality landed him in financial trouble following his fight of the night winning bout with Ricky Simon just four months after joining the UFC.
"In my second fight I got a bonus and it was crazy what I did. I got a $50,000 bonus and $10,000 from the fight. 'Oh I'm so rich, I have $60,000 now', I've never seen this much money so I stop work," Dvalishvili revealed on the MIGHTYcast.
In his conversation with UFC legend Demetrious Johnson, the Georgian explained that he was generous with his winnings, sending money to his coaches, manager and his two brothers, before treating himself to a nice new car.
But things quickly went south for the UFC star as he revealed that just just six months later had had run out of money, confessing: "I didn't even know I had to pay tax on this $60,000 and I was using credit cards.
"In my next fight I got paid $20,000 but I had to use it to pay taxes for that (previous winnings) and I had to go back to work in construction."
Thankfully for Dvalishvili, it's almost certain that he will never have to return to working another job outside of the UFC thanks to the incredible career he has forged for himself inside the octagon.
Since the loss to Simon in his second UFC fight, 'The Machine' has won 13 fights in a row, with several of his opponents being then-current or former champions, earning him the spot of third in the current pound-for-pound rankings.
Although it's impossible to say for sure, it's likely that Dvalishvili's career earnings is now comfortably within seven-figures, and that's without considering any potential brand deals or sponsorships outside of the octagon.
Ben McCrum