Merab Dvalishvili
The Machine
Georgia
Drops title in all-time shocker
Dvalishvili lost the UFC Bantamweight Championship on Saturday, falling to Petr Yan via unanimous decision (46-49, 46-49, 47-48) at UFC 323 in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
By stepping into the Octagon this evening, Dvalishvili became the first fighter in UFC history to defend a title four times in a single year. He did not leave with his belt, and there were several reasons why. The biggest and most obvious one was that his trademark wrestling game was nowhere to be found. He landed just 2-of-29 takedown attempts. Yan deserves all the credit in the world for remaining upright, but Merab just didn't appear to have his usual burst. He also was battered on the feet throughout, which shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Yan is the far more accomplished striker of the two. While Dvalishvili didn't appear to be flat-out exhausted, Yan was able to match his pace throughout, and we've never seen anyone do that in the past. Simply put, this was the first time his opponent didn't wilt under the pressure. Merab fought five times dating back to September 2024. When the company calls, he answers. It's fair to wonder if he simply needs some time off. He's probably deserving of an immediate rematch given his body of work, but it's unclear if that's the route the company will choose to go. In the meantime, both fighters will go home with $50,000 bonuses after the main event was awarded Fight of the Night honors.
By stepping into the Octagon this evening, Dvalishvili became the first fighter in UFC history to defend a title four times in a single year. He did not leave with his belt, and there were several reasons why. The biggest and most obvious one was that his trademark wrestling game was nowhere to be found. He landed just 2-of-29 takedown attempts. Yan deserves all the credit in the world for remaining upright, but Merab just didn't appear to have his usual burst. He also was battered on the feet throughout, which shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Yan is the far more accomplished striker of the two. While Dvalishvili didn't appear to be flat-out exhausted, Yan was able to match his pace throughout, and we've never seen anyone do that in the past. Simply put, this was the first time his opponent didn't wilt under the pressure. Merab fought five times dating back to September 2024. When the company calls, he answers. It's fair to wonder if he simply needs some time off. He's probably deserving of an immediate rematch given his body of work, but it's unclear if that's the route the company will choose to go. In the meantime, both fighters will go home with $50,000 bonuses after the main event was awarded Fight of the Night honors.
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More Fantasy News
To headline UFC 323
Dvalishvili will fight Petr Yan at UFC 323 on Dec. 6, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.
ANALYSIS
Dvalishvili will look to defend his Bantamweight title at UFC 323 against Petr Yan, his fourth match since earning the title. Yan has won three straight matches. Dvalishvili defeated Cory Sandhagen via unanimous decision in his last match.
Dvalishvili will look to defend his Bantamweight title at UFC 323 against Petr Yan, his fourth match since earning the title. Yan has won three straight matches. Dvalishvili defeated Cory Sandhagen via unanimous decision in his last match.
Cruises to easy title defense
Dvalishvili successfully defended the UFC Bantamweight Championship on Saturday, defeating Cory Sandhagen via unanimous decision (49-45, 49-45, 49-46) at UFC 320 in Las Vegas.
ANALYSIS
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Dvalishvili's 20 successful takedowns (on 37 attempts) were a new UFC record for a five-round fight. It took Merab a round to find his range, but once he did, Sandhagen was toast. Dvalishvili unloaded on the feet throughout Round 2 and nearly earned the stoppage. Two of the three judges gave him a 10-8 score for the frame. From there, Merab constantly pressured Sandhagen, limiting space and making sure his opponent could generate no notable offense. Dvalishvili will be 35 years of age in January, but has shown zero signs of slowing down. Merab has already successfully defended his title three times in 2025. He's essentially cleaned out what was arguably the deepest division in the company not all that long ago. He's in the running, if not the favorite, for the greatest bantamweight fighter of all time.
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Dvalishvili's 20 successful takedowns (on 37 attempts) were a new UFC record for a five-round fight. It took Merab a round to find his range, but once he did, Sandhagen was toast. Dvalishvili unloaded on the feet throughout Round 2 and nearly earned the stoppage. Two of the three judges gave him a 10-8 score for the frame. From there, Merab constantly pressured Sandhagen, limiting space and making sure his opponent could generate no notable offense. Dvalishvili will be 35 years of age in January, but has shown zero signs of slowing down. Merab has already successfully defended his title three times in 2025. He's essentially cleaned out what was arguably the deepest division in the company not all that long ago. He's in the running, if not the favorite, for the greatest bantamweight fighter of all time.
Title defense scheduled
Dvalishvili will defend his UFC Bantamweight Championship against Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320 on Oct. 4, according to UFC President Dana White (via Instagram Live).
ANALYSIS
As expected, Dvalishvili will have to defend his title for the third time since he won it over Sean O'Malley in September of 2024. The 5-foot-6 Georgian is coming off his second win against O'Malley back in June, which followed a unanimous decision victory over Umar Nurmagomedov at the start of the new year. Dvalishvili will now take on Sandhagen who isn't new to the championship octagon but lost in his sole appearance to Petr Yan back in 2021. Sandhagen is also a veteran in the league, but Dvalishvili is still set to be the favorite even with a looming older age.
As expected, Dvalishvili will have to defend his title for the third time since he won it over Sean O'Malley in September of 2024. The 5-foot-6 Georgian is coming off his second win against O'Malley back in June, which followed a unanimous decision victory over Umar Nurmagomedov at the start of the new year. Dvalishvili will now take on Sandhagen who isn't new to the championship octagon but lost in his sole appearance to Petr Yan back in 2021. Sandhagen is also a veteran in the league, but Dvalishvili is still set to be the favorite even with a looming older age.
Grapples way to easy title defense
Dvalishvili retained the UFC Bantamweight Championship on Saturday, defeating Sean O'Malley via submission (guillotine choke) at 4:42 of Round 3 at UFC 316 in Newark, New Jersey.
ANALYSIS
It was a classic Merab performance on countless levels. O'Malley looked better than he did in their first fight last September, and Dvalishvili was still able to turn it into a rout in short order, one that would earn him a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus after it was all said and done. Simply put, there's no fighter in the world today, in any division, that can come close to matching the pace of Merab. O'Malley kept things fairly close for two rounds before it all fell apart. Dvalishvili landed 3-of-5 takedowns in Round 3 alone, good for 4:18 worth of control time in the frame. On top of that, Merab's striking appeared much improved. He landed his fair share of damaging shots on the feet and handled everything the challenger threw his way. History tells us that Dvalishvili, at age 34, should be hitting a wall sooner rather than later, but this isn't a normal situation. Merab's next title defense is likely to come against Cory Sandhagen, either late in 2025 or early-2026.
It was a classic Merab performance on countless levels. O'Malley looked better than he did in their first fight last September, and Dvalishvili was still able to turn it into a rout in short order, one that would earn him a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus after it was all said and done. Simply put, there's no fighter in the world today, in any division, that can come close to matching the pace of Merab. O'Malley kept things fairly close for two rounds before it all fell apart. Dvalishvili landed 3-of-5 takedowns in Round 3 alone, good for 4:18 worth of control time in the frame. On top of that, Merab's striking appeared much improved. He landed his fair share of damaging shots on the feet and handled everything the challenger threw his way. History tells us that Dvalishvili, at age 34, should be hitting a wall sooner rather than later, but this isn't a normal situation. Merab's next title defense is likely to come against Cory Sandhagen, either late in 2025 or early-2026.
Set for O'Malley rematch
Dvalishvili will face Sean O'Malley at UFC 316 in New Jersey on June 7 to defend his bantamweight title.
ANALYSIS
Dvalishvili is looking to secure his second title defense after he delivered a dominant performance in his previous bout, where he defeated Umar Nurmagomedov via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) at UFC 311 on Jan. 18. Dvalishvili is one of the best fighters in the world right now regardless of the division, and securing another win against O'Malley, someone he already defeated back on Sep. 2024, would do nothing but enhance that status. Dvalishvili has won his last 12 fights.
Dvalishvili is looking to secure his second title defense after he delivered a dominant performance in his previous bout, where he defeated Umar Nurmagomedov via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) at UFC 311 on Jan. 18. Dvalishvili is one of the best fighters in the world right now regardless of the division, and securing another win against O'Malley, someone he already defeated back on Sep. 2024, would do nothing but enhance that status. Dvalishvili has won his last 12 fights.