Merab Dvalishvili News

Dana White reacts after Merab Dvalishvili gets into another altercation with a fan at UFC 310: “He's my mini Sean Strickland without the mouth”
Fernando Quiles Jr. - December 8, 2024
Dana White has reacted to Merab Dvalishvili’s latest incident with a fan. Dvalishvili was in attendance for UFC 310 in support of his teammate Aljamain Sterling. On the preliminary portion of the card, Sterling dropped a unanimous decision to Movsar Evloev in a competitive fight. Dvalishvili ended up getting physical with a fan in the stands, something that has become common for the reigning UFC bantamweight champion.

Sean O’Malley takes aim at former opponents Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili after UFC 310
Harry Kettle - December 8, 2024
UFC star Sean O’Malley has taken a shot at former opponents Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili following UFC 310. As was the case for most of us last night, Sean O’Malley was watching closely during a really fascinating UFC 310 pay-per-view event. It featured some notable moments for two of his rivals, too, with Aljamain Sterling losing to Movsar Evloev and Merab Dvalishvili getting involved in a fight with a fan in the crowd.

Video | Merab Dvalishvili got into an altercation with a fan following Aljamain Sterling’s loss to Movsar Evloev
Harry Kettle - December 8, 2024
UFC champion Merab Dvalishvili got into an altercation with a fan following Aljamain Sterling’s loss at UFC 310. If there’s one thing we know to be true about Merab Dvalishvili, it’s that he’s a pretty passionate guy. Whether it be himself or his teammates, he wears his heart on his sleeve. Sometimes, that takes him all the way to a world championship. In other instances, though, that leaves him on the verge of creating a real problem for himself.

WATCH | Merab Dvalishvili confronts Umar Nurmagomedov backstage at UFC 310 weigh-ins
Josh Evanoff - December 6, 2024
UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili nearly came to blows with Umar Nurmagomedov earlier today. ‘The Machine’ and ‘Young Eagle’ finally had their long-awaited clash finalized earlier this week. Despite talk of Merab Dvalishvili rematching Petr Yan or Sean O’Malley, he instead signed a deal to face Umar Nurmagomedov. The Russian famously earned a title opportunity with a unanimous decision victory over Cory Sandhagen in August.

Merab Dvalishvili claims Umar Nurmagomedov is not on his "level," tells him to "earn" his title shot: "He has beat who?"
Cole Shelton - November 27, 2024
Merab Dvalishvili continues to take aim at Umar Nurmagomedov saying he doesn’t deserve a title shot. Dvalishvili is looking to get his first title defense of his bantamweight belt booked. With nothing made official, the champion took to social media to send a message to the division and took aim at Nurmagomedov.

Sean O’Malley reacts to Merab Dvalishvili’s recent callout of Petr Yan: “Merab is absolutely s***ing himself terrified of Umar”
Harry Kettle - November 26, 2024
Sean O’Malley doesn’t believe that Merab Dvalishvili is overly interested in the idea of fighting Umar Nurmagomedov. As we know, Merab Dvalishvili is the rightful UFC bantamweight champion. He defeated Sean O’Malley to claim the belt for the first time and ever since then, fans have been wondering who he’ll defend against first. Some have suggested an O’Malley rematch, whereas others believe Umar Nurmagomedov and Petr Yan are the top two contenders – especially after the latter’s win over Deiveson Figueiredo last weekend.

Umar Nurmagomedov sends a clear warning to Merab Dvalishvili
Harry Kettle - November 25, 2024
UFC star Umar Nurmagomedov has issued a warning to Merab Dvalishvili as talk of a fight between them continues. As we know, Umar Nurmagomedov is seen as the number one contender at bantamweight in the eyes of many. The champion, meanwhile, Merab Dvalishvili, is more interested in taking on Petr Yan. As of this writing, it’s not quite clear as to who is going to get the next crack at the 135 pound belt.

Merab Dvalishvili challenges Petr Yan to rematch at March’s UFC 313 event in Las Vegas: “LFG!”
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.

Merab Dvalishvili says Umar Nurmagomedov is taking another fight due to being 'scared' of him
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.

Merab Dvalishvili believes Ilia Topuria will defeat Max Holloway at UFC 308
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.

Merab Dvalishvili reveals plans for February return, open to both Umar Nurmagomedov or Sean O'Malley rematch next
Josh Evanoff - October 21, 2024
UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili is open to fighting anyone in his first title defense. ‘The Machine’ is fresh off his return to the cage in the main event of UFC 306 last month. At the Las Vegas Sphere, Merab Dvalishvili finally faced off with then-bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley. ‘Sugar’ famously won the gold with a knockout win over the Georgian’s teammate, Aljamain Sterling, last year.

Umar Nurmagomedov thinks Merab Dvalishvili is avoiding him: "It's looking very bad"
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.

VIDEO | Georgia serenades Merab Dvalishvili as a hero after UFC 306 title win
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.

Merab Dvalishvili takes aim at prior opponents Petr Yan, Henry Cejudo and Sean O'Malley, vows to "smash" Umar Nurmagomedov
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.

Merab Dvalishvili calls to rematch Sean O'Malley at UFC 309: "I wanna show him I will beat him again"
Cole Shelton - September 27, 2024
Merab Dvalishvili wants his first title defense to be a rematch against Sean O’Malley. Dvalishvili became the UFC’s bantamweight champion with a clear-cut decision win over O’Malley at UFC 306 at Sphere. Following the win, most assumed that Dvalishvili would face Umar Nurmagomedov next. However, since the fight, O’Malley has called for a rematch as he claimed he won rounds 1, 3, and 5.

Referee Herb Dean defends encouraging Merab Dvalishvili to "work" more in later rounds at UFC 306
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.

VIDEO | Sean O'Malley mocks Merab Dvalishvili's style in "takeaway" review of UFC 306
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.

Newly minted UFC champion Merab Dvalishvili reveals he was working a full time construction job until 2020
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.