Merab Dvalishvili, the No. 2-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight contender, is finally receiving the limelight he deserves. Often overlooked during pivotal discussions regarding the seismic shift in the UFC bantamweight division, Dvalishvili, the Georgian menace, now has one foot in the door of title contention, and every fight has been a step up in competition.
“The Machine” is on a staggering nine-fight win streak with the ultimate objective of laying hands on divisional gold. Dvalishvili was contentto assume the supporting role when his longtime training partner and friend Aljamain Sterling reigned supreme over the bantamweight division. Now, the vanquished champion has given way to a potential future one, with Sterling moving up to the featherweight division to take on Calvin Kattar at UFC 300.
With this scenario in mind, Dvalishvili has a promising opportunity to hog the limelight in his next high-profile assignment. The Georgian is set to take on former two-division champion Henry Cejudo on Feb. 17, 2024, at UFC 298. With the groundwork laid for the meeting of rival forces, let's take a look at some of Dvalishvili's rivalries carved in stone with his relentless wrestling-heavy fighting style.
Raufeon Stots
Stots was on an eight-fight win streak when he locked horns with the freshly minted Ring of Combat bantamweight champion, Merab Dvalishvili. The fight took place at the Ring of Combat 59 event on June 2, 2017. The actual fight would turn out to be Dvalishvili’s quickest assignment to date, dispatching Stots with a spinning backfist in a mere fifteen seconds of the first round. This is also the 33-year-old’s only first-round finish in his 20-fight professional career.
Brad Katona
Dvalishvili took on Katona, who would go on to become the only two-time “The Ultimate Fighter” in his fourth fight under the UFC banner. Katona toted the same qualifications that Stots wielded in the fight, challenging Dvalishivili at UFC Fight Night 151 riding on an impressive eight-fight win streak.
The Georgian sealed his opponent’s fate with a shutout performance and handed Katona the first loss of his professional career. Dvalishvili stuck to his patent wrestling-heavy onslaught scoring a unanimous 30-27 victory on all three scorecards.
Marlon Moraes
Dvalishvili endured a rough first round in a pivotal clash against Moraes at UFC 266. The top bout of the UFC 266 undercard proved to be a nail-biting encounter. Dvalishvili capitalized on a wild exchange to take Moraes to the ground, but the Brazilian didn’t stay down long. Once they were back in striking range, Moraes drilled his opponent with a pair of left hooks, the second one hurting and wobbling Dvalishvili. A furious assault by Moraes followed, and while Dvalishvili stumbled around the Octagon, he kept swinging and even got a takedown with 90 seconds to go.
In the second round, Dvalishvili drew upon his strongest suit and deployed his wrestling prowess on Moraes, flooring his adversary with relentless takedowns and landing vicious blows from the top position. The unanswered strikes from the top position forced referee Keith Peterson to intervene at the 4:25 mark, and Dvalishvili walked away with the only “Performance of the Night” bonus of his UFC journey.
Petr Yan
This rivalry had bad blood, underscored by vicious intentions on both fighters’ part considering that the hostility had been brewing for some time. Dvalishvili’s rivalry with Yan was embedded in multiple roots and a fusillade of verbal attacks. Above all else, Dvalishvili craved the chance to prove his mettle against a former UFC champion. When the opportunity presented itself at UFC Fight Night 221, he triumphed in style.
Dvalishvili drowned Yan, shooting for two takedowns in the opening minute of the fight. He didn’t ease off on the pressure for an instant, mixing in hard punches and punishing kicks to Yan’s lead leg. It seemed like the Georgian was in overdrive mode, while Yan felt the weight of the gloves and seemingly bailed out on the sinking ship as the fight progressed.
The 33-year-old set the record for most takedowns attempted in a UFC bout with 49 attempts and came out on top with unanimous 50-45 scores.
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