Merab Dvalishvili News

Harry Kettle - September 26, 2025

Merab Dvalishvili has gone on a rant about rival Umar Nurmagomedov as tensions continue to grow between the two. Right now, Merab Dvalishvili is one of the most exciting fighters in all of mixed martial arts. He is the UFC bantamweight champion and has successfully defended the strap against both Umar Nurmagomedov and Sean O’Malley. At UFC 320, he’ll attempt to defend it for the third time when he goes up against Cory Sandhagen.

Harry Kettle - September 23, 2025

UFC champion Merab Dvalishvili believes he will hit the 100-takedown milestone against Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320. Right now, Merab Dvalishvili is easily one of the best fighters in all of mixed martial arts. He is the UFC bantamweight champion and if he beats Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320, he will have successfully defended the strap for the third time.

Harry Kettle - September 19, 2025

UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili’s coach John Wood has issued a warning to his future opponents. As we know, Merab Dvalishvili is the reigning king of the bantamweights – and he’s well and truly earned that title. He’s already successfully defended the belt twice and in his next outing, he’ll put the strap on the line against top contender Cory Sandhagen.

Cole Shelton - September 18, 2025

UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili is hoping Mario Bautista defeats Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 321. Bautista is taking on Nurmagomedov in a No. 1 contender bout, as the winner should get a title shot. Although Nurmagomedov has a bigger name and following, Dvalishvili says he is actually rooting for Bautista as he wants a fresh matchup.

Dylan Bowker - September 9, 2025

Merab Dvalishvili and Demetrious Johnson are two fighters with exemplary legacies in MMA, with the two prolific fighters getting in work together recently. The reigning UFC bantamweight champion posted evidence of this on his Instagram page, and Dvalishvili captioned the post by expressing how honored he felt to be working with a martial artist he referred to as the GOAT. Photos of the top bantamweight in MMA today working with the former UFC flyweight champion and ONE Championship titleholder captured the attention of many with shots of Dvalishvili getting in sparring work with Johnson at Syndicate MMA, the former’s base gym.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 31, 2025

Merab Dvalishvili has an idea of who should get a bantamweight title shot after UFC 320. Dvalishvili is scheduled to put his gold at stake against Cory Sandhagen on Oct. 4. The bout will serve as the co-main event of UFC 320. “The Machine” has long called Sandhagen a worthy challenger, and the two even had a staredown inside the Octagon after Dvalishvili defeated Sean O’Malley at UFC 316.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - August 29, 2025

Merab Dvalishvili thinks Umar Nurmagomedov would be in for a rude awakening if they meet again down the road. Dvalishvili is currently focused on his next UFC Bantamweight Championship defense. He’ll be putting his 135-pound gold at stake against Cory Sandhagen in the UFC 320 co-main event. The planned date for that showdown is Oct. 4 in Las Vegas.

Dylan Bowker - August 28, 2025

Merab Dvalishvili wants to vault over major combat sports names like Bernard Hopkins, George Foreman, and Randy Couture with the lofty goal he has for his combat sports career. Appearing on the Full Send Podcast, the UFC bantamweight champion covered multiple topics ahead of his next title defense assignment in the Fall. Dvalishvili will defend his 135-pound crown against Cory Sandhagen in the co-main event of UFC 320 on October 4th.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - July 28, 2025

Cory Sandhagen isn’t sold on Merab Dvalishvili being an unstoppable force. Sandhagen is set to challenge “The Machine” for the UFC Bantamweight Championship on Oct. 4. The title fight is set to serve as the co-headliner for UFC 320. The main event of that pay-per-view card will feature a UFC Light Heavyweight Championship rematch between titleholder Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira.

Harry Kettle - July 22, 2025

UFC fighter Bryce Mitchell believes he has what it takes to defeat Merab Dvalishvili after his move down to bantamweight. This weekend, Bryce Mitchell makes his way down to 135 pounds at UFC Abu Dhabi. He will face off against Said Nurmagomedov, in what is bound to be a tough first assignment for him. With that being said, ‘Thug Nasty’ seems pretty confident that he’ll be able to make magic happen in his new home at bantamweight.

Harry Kettle - July 1, 2025

UFC bantamweight king Merab Dvalishvili has provided an update on the next time he steps into the Octagon. As we know, Merab Dvalishvili is easily one of the best fighters in the Ultimate Fighting Championship today. He is the king of the bantamweight division and after successfully defending his belt against Sean O’Malley, many have started to call him the greatest bantamweight of all time.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 25, 2025

The head coach of Merab Dvalishvili doesn’t think Umar Nurmagomedov would fare much better against his fighter in a rematch. Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov first shared the Octagon back in January. “The Machine” put the UFC Bantamweight Championship at stake against the previously unbeaten Nurmagomedov. Dvalishvili ended up winning the fight via unanimous decision to retain the 135-pound gold.

Harry Kettle - June 17, 2025

UFC commentator Joe Rogan has had great things to say about UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili. As we know, Merab Dvalishvili is a fairly terrifying individual. He is the reigning king of the bantamweight division and throughout the course of the last few years, he’s really been able to step his game up to a whole new level.

BJ Penn Staff - June 16, 2025

Sean O’Malley is still less than two weeks removed from a dejecting submission loss to Merab Dvalishvili, but the UFC star already thinking about his next fight. O’Malley met Dvalishvili in the main event of UFC 316, in hopes of reclaiming the bantamweight title. However, he suffered a decisive submission loss to the champion. It was his second loss in a row to the Georgian, after surrendering the belt with a decision loss last September.

BJ Penn Staff - June 11, 2025

Merab Dvalishvili and Aljamain Sterling are two of the best bantamweights in UFC history. Interestingly, they’re also close friends and training partners. Sterling held the UFC bantamweight belt first. He won it with a disqualification against Petr Yan in 2021, and then defended it three times, against Yan, TJ Dillashaw and Henry Cejudo. He ultimately lost the belt to Sean O’Malley, who went on to lose the belt to Dvalishvili.

Harry Kettle - June 11, 2025

Merab Dvalishvili’s coach believes he has pinpointed the moment when Sean O’Malley began to break at UFC 316. Last weekend, Merab Dvalishvili successfully defended his UFC bantamweight championship. He did so with yet another phenomenal performance which ended with him submitting Sean O’Malley in the third round. While many felt as if him winning was likely, a lot of people thought it would come via decision. Instead, he stepped things up and managed to get the finish.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - June 10, 2025

Could Merab Dvalishvili be in for a letdown in his next title defense? Dvalishvili has looked the part of an elite fighter every time he steps inside the Octagon. He further added to his aura by submitting Sean O’Malley in their UFC 316 rematch on Saturday. “The Machine” has lived up to his nickname, riding a 13-fight winning streak. He now has two successful UFC Bantamweight Championship defenses. He hasn’t lost a pro MMA fight since 2018.

Harry Kettle - June 10, 2025

Merab Dvalishvili’s coach John Wood has given his thoughts on a possible title fight against Cory Sandhagen. Last weekend in the main event of UFC 316, Merab Dvalishvili submitted and defeated Sean O’Malley. It served as the final chapter in their rivalry (at least for the time being), with the champion now set to move on to even bigger things. The expectation is that his next challenger will be Cory Sandhagen, who has been on a pretty solid run of form in recent years.