Merab Dvalishvili hints at fighting Deiveson Figueiredo next in reaction to his UFC Rio win

Merab Dvalishvili welcomes Deiveson Figueiredo challenge after UFC Rio

Dvalishvili defeated Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320 to record his third successful bantamweight title defense of the year. He is already on the lookout for his next challenger, as the Georgian star hopes to complete a quick turnaround to compete in December.

The leading contender appears to be Petr Yan, who is unbeaten in three fights since losing to the champion in 2023. But despite the Russian beating Figueiredo last year, Dvalishvili appears to be interested in ‘Deus da Guerra’.

Perhaps the possibility of facing a first-time opponent is more intriguing to ‘The Machine’, who gave a positive response to Figueiredo’s callout on social media.

“Congratulations @DDeusdaguerra! Great performance against a top opponent!” Dvalishvili wrote on X.

“I’m waiting for you #UFCRio”

Deiveson Figueiredo sees one area Merab Dvalishvili ‘struggles’ in

While nobody has been successful in cracking the Dvalishvili puzzle since 2018, Figueiredo expects to be the exception.

Speaking at his UFC Rio post-fight press conference, the former two-time flyweight champion pointed out one weakness he sees in the current bantamweight king.

“I want to be prepared for him,” Figueiredo said.

“I just see one detail he doesn’t do with excellency. He takes them and he doesn’t know how to submit,” he added.