Merab Dvalishvili News

Harry Kettle - November 25, 2024

UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili has challenged Petr Yan to a rematch at UFC 313 in March 2025. Last weekend, Petr Yan made a statement. He defeated Deiveson Figueiredo and in doing so, put himself firmly back in the title picture at bantamweight. Of course, as many people know, he’s fought Merab Dvalishvili before. On that occasion, Dvalishvili was able to totally control Yan with his relentless pace and style, earning a fantastic and dominant victory in the process.

Curtis Calhoun - October 25, 2024

UFC bantamweight contender Umar Nurmagomedov didn’t take long to respond to Merab Dvalishvili’s recent outburst at a fan Q+A event. Nurmagomedov is the presumptive No. 1 bantamweight contender after defeating Cory Sandhagen at UFC Abu Dhabi earlier this year. The undefeated Dagestani seemed destined to face Dvalishvili following the latter’s title win over Sean O’Malley at UFC 306.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 25, 2024

Merab Dvalishvili believes Umar Nurmagomedov is running scared. While many believe Nurmagomedov is deserving of a number one contender fight, rumors have swirled that his next bout will not be for a title. Instead, the word going around is that Nurmagomedov will fight Song Yadong.

Harry Kettle - October 22, 2024

UFC champion Merab Dvalishvili believes Ilia Topuria will defeat Max Holloway at UFC 308 this weekend. On Saturday night, Ilia Topuria will defend his UFC featherweight championship against Max Holloway. It serves as the most important fight on the UFC 308 card and, for some, it’s the biggest fight of the year. Regardless of whether or not you agree with that sentiment, it’s hard to argue against the idea that this is a blockbuster bout.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - October 13, 2024

Umar Nurmagomedov has accused Merab Dvalishvili of ducking him. Dvalishvili is the UFC bantamweight champion. He captured the gold by defeating Sean O’Malley via unanimous decision at UFC 306 inside the Sphere in Las Vegas.

Curtis Calhoun - October 9, 2024

Former UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland isn’t a fan of Merab Dvalishvili’s growing social media presence since winning the bantamweight belt. Dvalishvili and Strickland are two of the UFC’s biggest fan favorites after their recent successes in the Octagon. Dvalishvili, in particular, surged in popularity after defeating Sean O’Malley at UFC 306.

Curtis Calhoun - September 30, 2024

UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili became the latest Georgian athlete to reach the pinnacle of his athletic profession. Dvalishvili defeated Sean O’Malley by unanimous decision to become the UFC bantamweight titleholder at UFC 306. He shut down O’Malley’s striking arsenal and wrestled to a dominant victory on the judges’ scorecards.

Chris Taylor - September 28, 2024

Merab Dvalishvili took aim at a number of his previous opponents on Saturday afternoon, this while vowing to “smash” Umar Nurmagomedov. Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA) became the UFC’s newly minted bantamweight champion earlier this month at The Sphere in Las Vegas, earning a dominant unanimous decision victory over Sean O’Malley.

Curtis Calhoun - September 25, 2024

MMA referee Herb Dean explained his persistence in wanting more volume and action from Merab Dvalishvili in the later rounds of the UFC 306 headliner. Dvalishvili defeated Sean O’Malley by unanimous decision to earn the UFC bantamweight title at UFC 306. He largely dominated the fight against O’Malley with his wrestling, despite O’Malley believing he was robbed on the judges’ scorecards.

Fernando Quiles Jr. - September 24, 2024

Renowned MMA coach Firas Zahabi believes Merab Dvalishvili is doing himself a disservice by not working on finishing fights. Dvalishvili is the newly-minted UFC bantamweight champion. He utilized effective pressure and grappling to thwart the striking of Sean O’Malley at UFC 306. The fight went the distance, and Dvalishvili was able to avoid the big shot to walk out of the Sphere in Las Vegas with UFC gold.

Curtis Calhoun - September 23, 2024

Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley has explained, in his way, what he took away from five rounds in the Octagon with Merab Dvalishvili. O’Malley lost the UFC bantamweight belt to Dvalishvili at UFC 306 earlier this month. He lost by unanimous decision and struggled to find footing against the mauling of Dvalishvili in the Octagon.

Harry Kettle - September 23, 2024

UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili has made a surprising revelation regarding his former career outside the cage. Merab Dvalishvili is the new king at 135 pounds. Earlier this month at Noche UFC, he defeated Sean O’Malley to become the new champion – and he did so in emphatic fashion. It marks the end of a long journey for the Georgian superstar that saw him scratch and claw to make his way to the top of the mountain.

Curtis Calhoun - September 18, 2024

UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili has reversed course on his willingness to face Umar Nurmagomedov for his first title defense. Dvalishvili earned the UFC bantamweight title by unanimous decision against Sean O’Malley at UFC 306. He used his wrestling and timely striking to stifle and frustrate O’Malley over five rounds of action.

Harry Kettle - September 18, 2024

Kamaru Usman has encouraged UFC champion Merab Dvalishvili to embrace Umar Nurmagomedov’s recent challenge. As we know, Merab Dvalishvili is the new UFC bantamweight champion. He earned the gold by defeating Sean O’Malley, dominating the former champion at the Sphere in Las Vegas. Now, as the champ, he’s able to call the shots in a way that he’s never been able to before.

Curtis Calhoun - September 17, 2024

UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili took issue with Tim Welch’s taunting in the opening seconds of UFC 306, and his coach took mere minutes to hit back. Dvalishvili got the last laugh against Sean O’Malley by defeating him by unanimous decision in the UFC 306 main event. The Georgian’s long path to the title paid off in a big way as he largely dominated O’Malley over five rounds.

Cole Shelton - September 17, 2024

Henry Cejudo wasn’t impressed with Merab Dvalishvili’s performance at UFC 306. Despite Dvalishvili dominating Sean O’Malley at UFC 306 at The Sphere to become the new bantamweight champion, Cejudo wasn’t impressed by what he saw. Instead, his main takeaway was that Dvalishvili didn’t look all that impressive and he believes had he not been injured in his fight against the Georgian he would have won.

Curtis Calhoun - September 16, 2024

UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili gave Georgians a new role model to look up to after his triumphant showing at UFC 306. Dvalishvili became the UFC’s second Georgian champion by defeating Sean O’Malley by unanimous decision on Saturday. He wrestled his way to a title win and largely shut down O’Malley’s striking offensive.

Josh Evanoff - September 16, 2024

Umar Nurmagomedov believes he’s still next in line for UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili. ‘The Machine’ is fresh off his return to the cage in the main event of Noche UFC over the weekend. Back for the first time since a decision victory over Henry Cejudo in February, Merab Dvalishvili faced Sean O’Malley. ‘Sugar’ entered the cage a slight betting favorite, but was no match for the wrestler on Saturday night.