Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311, with inset of Demetrious Johnson at UFC 216. Credit: Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Getty Images

UFC GOAT reveals exactly how he’d fight UFC champ Merab Dvalishvili: ‘It has to be…’

Originally posted on Bloody Elbow
By Christopher De Santiago | Last updated Sep 1, 2025 6:14 PM ET

UFC Champion Merab Dvalishvili looked unbeatable in his last time out.

It’s been quite a while since the Georgian ‘Machine’ has taken an ‘L’ inside the Octagon—seven years, to be exact.

Dvalishvili is currently on a 13-fight win streak and while most of those wins are by decision, the champ was able to submit Sean O’Malley in his second title defense in the UFC 316 headliner in June.

Now, Dvalishvili is set to take on #4-ranked contender Cory Sandhagen in the co-main event of UFC 320 on Oct. 4 in Las Vegas.

Dvalishvili’s grappling-heavy style (backed by great cardio) has been extremely tough for UFC stars to figure out. Former two-division champion Henry Cejudo, Umar Nurmagomedov, Petr Yan, and Jose Aldo all lost on the scorecards to him.

So, what’s it gonna take for Dvalishvili to finally meet his match? An all-time great has an idea.

Photo by Christian Petersen/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Demetrious Johnson says he’d press Merab Dvalishvili ‘the entire time’ in hypothetical fight

Retired UFC and ONE Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson was recently asked how he’d fight Dvalishvili.

Johnson is the greatest flyweight of all time and arguably the greatest MMA fighter ever, having successfully defended the UFC title more than anyone (11).

A master tactician, Johnson details what his strategy would be for Dvalishvili.

“If I was to fight Merab, I would press him the whole entire time,” Johnson said on the Simple Man Podcast.

“Force him to shoot and try to make him stand. When he shoots, make him pay for shooting, not try to outgrapple [him].

“When it comes to grappling, he likes to stay in guard. So push on the face, get a knee shield. And then when he tries to come in, go underneath him.

“It has to be a constant fight when you fight Merab,” Johnson explained.

“When you get into clinch, start throwing knees, elbows, punches. When he backs out of the clinch, right hand, body kick, high kick. It’s got to be a constant fight with Merab.

“You can’t allow him to dance outside the void and do his thing, and then he blasts a double and once he blasts that double, you gotta have a good enough ground game to keep those frames to keep him from burying you.”

Demetrious Johnson says Cory Sandhagen ‘not afraid’ to wrestle

Dvalishvili’s next opponent Cory Sandhagen is one of the best tacticians on the UFC roster.

Sandhagen has a very well-rounded game, with ‘Mighty Mouse’ pointing out his submission threat.

“I think the thing that Cory Sandhagen does very well is he’s very good at fighting and going after legs, going after leg locks,” Johnson said of the UFC 320 title challenger.

“Look at what he did to Figueiredo. He got him with that 50-50 [position]…

“He was putting a lot of pressure on that knee,” Johnson said of Sandhagen’s TKO stoppage via injury over two-time flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo in May.

“When he fought Umar Nurmagomedov, he kept diving for the legs…

“Cory’s not afraid to engage in the wrestling aspect of it,” Johnson said ahead of his fight against Dvalishvili.

This article first appeared on Bloody Elbow and was syndicated with permission.

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