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Former Georgia captain Merab Sharikadze has reportedly swapped sports and left rugby to start a new career in MMA. The 32-year-old - who won over 100 caps for the Lelos and most recently starred for Georgian club side Black Lion - is regarded as a legend of the game in his country, having become renowned for his power and physicality at inside centre. Now, he looks set to transfer those qualities from the rugby field to the fighting cage after making the surprise switch. Sharikadze is reportedly taking part in the RKENA Fighting Championship, a competition backed by Setanta Sports and hailed as a "new era of Georgian MMA". Promotional shots featuring the Lelos great have appeared online, with Setanta Sport's MMA reporter Giorgi Kokiashvili taking to social media to write: "This just in - Georgian rugby legend and former national team captain, the one and only Merab Sharikadze, has switched to MMA and will make his debut in the RKENA Fighting Championship! This is massive news in the rugby world!" According to RugbyPass, Sharikadze's shock switch has since been confirmed by a Georgian Rugby Union official. An Instagram post on the official RKENA post showed a photo of Sharikadze standing beside a fighting cage, with the caption reading: "Legends of strength and courage will be created. RKENA is about to happen." The 6ft 1in Russian-born star played at three Rugby World Cups with Georgia and had stints in France with Bourg-en-Bresse and Aurillac after starting his career with Gloucester. His move to MMA comes three years after he led the Lelos out as captain at the Principality Stadium to record a famous win over Wayne Pivac's Wales during the 2022 autumn internationals. In arguably the finest result in Georgian rugby history, the visitors fought back from 12-3 down to seal a 12-13 victory, with replacement Luka Matkava proving the hero as he kicked a decisive 78th-minute penalty. Two tries from Jac Morgan had put Wales ahead, but a second-half fightback from Georgia saw Alexander Todua cross for a try before Matkava sent the ball sailing through the posts to subject Pivac and his side to humiliation and leave the home crowd in Cardiff utterly stunned. That autumn campaign would prove to be Pivac's last in charge of Wales, with the New Zealander then replaced by his countryman Warren Gatland , who returned to the job after three years away. Sharikadze was left beaming with pride after the full-time whistle sounded in Cardiff on that fateful day, as he called on World Rugby to take notice of Georgia's displays, having also beaten another Tier One side, Italy, earlier that year. "It would be unfair if World Rugby tried to pretend this didn't happen," he told reporters after the win over Wales. "It says a lot doesn't it that we have beaten two top-tier sides this year. "I hope they [World Rugby] are watching us. I'm not arrogant, but I hope they don't try to ignore what is happening. How can you when something is so obvious?" It's amazing. Beating Italy was amazing, but beating Wales in Wales is unbelievable. It says a lot doesn't it?" * Follow all of our channels to ensure you stay up to date with the latest Welsh rugby news. Sign up to our free daily newsletter here and our WhatsApp channel here for all the breaking news. You can also follow us on social media on our X account , Facebook , Instagram and TikTok. For more exclusive stories and in-depth analysis, you can sign up for the Inside Welsh Rugby substack newsletter here.
