Actor Kevin James details “scary” sparring with Merab Dvalishvili: “He starts lighting me up like a Christmas tree”

Kevin James had an interesting sparring session with UFC bantamweight Merab Dvalishvili.

James, who has acted in shows like The King of Queens and Everybody Loves Raymond while also being in movies like Paul Blart Mall Cop, Grown Ups, and Here Comes The Boom, was training in a gym when Dvalishvili started to work with him. James says he tagged in, when everyone in the gym knew he was an actor but Dvalishvili just assumed James was a heavyweight fighter.

With Dvalishvili thinking James was a fighter, he didn’t go easy and instead, James says went at him and lit him up like a Christmas tree.

"This guy turns it on and he doesn't know I'm an actor!"@KevinJames details a sparring session with 'The Machine' @MerabDvalishvil 🤣

📽️'Won't Back Down Radio' w/ @chrisweidman pic.twitter.com/i5tvuIQpB8

— MMA on SiriusXM (@MMAonSiriusXM) February 21, 2023

“Let’s be completely honest. I tag in and Merab comes at me. I swear I go, hey man, let’s go. I guess I look like a big, fat heavyweight or something, I didn’t know what it was. But this guy turns it on, and he doesn’t know I’m an actor,” James said to Chris Weidman o Sirius XM. “He’s the only guy that didn’t know I’m an actor… He doesn’t know so he starts lighting me up like a Christmas tree. He starts tagging me, and I was freaking out. I have video, it’s the funniest thing ever, I’m like what the hell. I had head gear on, too. Man, that was scary. I was like, did you tell this guy? You didn’t tell this guy.”

Weidman says Merab Dvalishvili spars everyone hard which Kevin James was quick to find out. He also believes Merab thought he was a fighter and was looking to prove he could knock out a heavyweight even though he is a bantamweight.

“He had to prove, like, I could knock out a heavyweight, too. I was, like, are you kidding me?,” James added.

As of right now, the video of the sparring between Dvalishvili and James is not out there. But, there’s no question it would be funny to see after hearing the way James explained it. As for Dvalishvili, he is set to headline the Fight Night card on March 11 against Petr Yan.

What do you make of Kevin James’ sparring story with Merab Dvalishvili?