Merab Dvalishvili News

Merab Dvalishvili says he has “markgoddardphobia” following latest stoppage in the main event of UFC 292
Harry Kettle - August 23, 2023
Merab Dvalishvili has once again gone after referee Marc Goddard following his stoppage in the main event of UFC 292. Last weekend at UFC 292, Marc Goddard served as the referee for the UFC bantamweight championship fight between Aljamain Sterling and Sean O’Malley. In the second round, O’Malley dropped Sterling before unleashing some nasty ground and pound on the former champ. While Sterling was able to turn and get to his knees, Goddard had seen enough, and decided to stop the contest.

Merab Dvalishvili takes aim at referee Marc Goddard for “another early stoppage” in Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley
Harry Kettle - August 21, 2023
Merab Dvalishvili has taken a shot at Marc Goddard for what he deemed to be an early stoppage in the UFC 292 main event between Aljamain Sterling and Sean O’Malley. In the main event of UFC 292 last weekend, Aljamain Sterling went head to head with Sean O’Malley. He was hoping to successfully defend his bantamweight championship once again, but instead, he was TKO’d in the second round by ‘Suga’. In the process, of course, he lost his belt, but some have questioned whether or not it was an early stoppage.

Sean O’Malley takes aim at fellow bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili
Cole Shelton - May 26, 2023
Sean O’Malley has blasted Merab Dvalishvili. After Aljamain Sterling defended his bantamweight title against Henry Cejudo, O’Malley went into the Octagon to faceoff with ‘Funkmaster’ to set up their fight. Once O’Malley got into the ring, he handed Dvalishvhili his jacket to hold which he ended up putting on and keeping. ‘The Machine’ later said he would return the jacket once Sterling has defeated O’Malley.

UFC champion Aljamain Sterling reacts to Henry Cejudo’s callout of teammate Merab Dvalishvili: “He's got a tall task ahead of him”
Harry Kettle - May 16, 2023
Aljamain Sterling has given his thoughts on Henry Cejudo possibly squaring off with his teammate Merab Dvalishvili. Earlier this month, Aljamain Sterling defeated Henry Cejudo via split decision. It was a tight, competitive affair but in the end, it was Sterling who got his hand raised and walked away as the UFC bantamweight champion.

Sean O'Malley & Merab Dvalishvili exchange words following jacket snatching incident at UFC 288
Fernando Quiles Jr. - May 7, 2023
Sean O’Malley got heated at UFC 288 over the trolling antics of Merab Dvalishvili and it led to an exchange between the two on social media. O’Malley was in attendance at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey for the event. He got a close look at the main event between UFC Bantamweight Champion Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo. After five rounds of highly competitive action, Sterling successfully retained the 135-pound gold via split decision.

Merab Dvalishvili under fire after performing “dangerous” high-rise social media stunt (Video)
Susan Cox - April 17, 2023
Merab Dvalishvili is coming under fire after performing a ‘dangerous’ high-rise social media stunt. Dvalishvili (16-4 MMA) is currently on an impressive 9 fight winning streak,his latest unanimous decision victory coming against Petr Yan (16-5 MMA) this past March at UFC Fight Night 221.

Video | Merab Dvalishvili climbs into stands to confront trash-talking fan at UFC San Antonio
Harry Kettle - March 27, 2023
UFC fighter Merab Dvalishvili threatened to throw down with a fan over the weekend after being antagonised from the stands. Earlier this month, Merab Dvalishvili recorded the biggest win of his career thus far. He beat, and somewhat dominated, Petr Yan over the course of a five-round bantamweight contest.

Merab Dvalishvili responds to callout from UFC San Antonio main event winner Cory Sandhagen
Fernando Quiles Jr. - March 26, 2023
Merab Dvalishvili appears to be more than willing to accept Cory Sandhagen’s challenge. Sandhagen was in action this past Saturday night (March 25). He went one-on-one with Marlon “Chito” Vera in the main event of UFC San Antonio. Sandhagen scored what appeared to be a decisive victory over Vera after five rounds of action, but judge Joel Ojeda turned in what many consider to be an egregious 48-47 score total in favor of “Chito.” Ojeda’s scores were overruled by the other two Octagon-side judges, and Sandhagen nabbed a split decision victory.

Aljamain Sterling is open to fighting training partner Merab Dvalishvili if the UFC offers up “NFL money”
Susan Cox - March 16, 2023
Aljamain Sterling is open to fighting training partner Merab Dvalishvili if the UFC offers up ‘NFL money’. Sterling (22-3 MMA) is currently on an eight-fight winning streak, his latest victory coming via TKO against T.J. Dillashaw (17-5 MMA) in October of last year at UFC 280.

Anthony Smith questions whether the friendship between Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili is going both ways: “What I’ve seen is Merab ride hard as s**t for his best friend”
Harry Kettle - March 15, 2023
UFC fighter Anthony Smith has questioned whether the friendship between Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili is too one-sided. Last weekend, Merab Dvalishvili earned the biggest win of his career as he completely outclassed Petr Yan. In doing so, he put himself firmly in line for a shot at the UFC bantamweight championship.

Merab Dvalishvili reacts to UFC President Dana White’s warning about not fighting teammate Aljamain Sterling: “If he wants to do it, I will fight”
Harry Kettle - March 14, 2023
UFC bantamweight star Merab Dvalishvili has responded to a recent warning from Dana White about not fighting Aljamain Sterling. On Saturday night, Merab Dvalishvili stepped out of the shadows in the bantamweight division. He dominated Petr Yan in the main event of the latest UFC Fight Night, cementing himself as a top contender at 135 pounds.

What's next for Merab Dvalishvili and Petr Yan after UFC Las Vegas?
Cole Shelton - March 13, 2023
In the main event of UFC Las Vegas, Merab Dvalishvili headlined his first UFC event against former bantamweight champ, Petr Yan. Dvalishvili was coming off a decision win over Jose Aldo in August to extend his win streak to eight. Also on the win streak, he had wins over John Dodson, Cody Stamann, and Marlon Moraes among others. Yan, meanwhile, entered the fight losing back-to-back split decisions to Sean O’Malley and Aljamain Sterling and was 1-3 in his last four.

Henry Cejudo suggests Merab Dvalishvili be on standby in case Aljamain Sterling backs out of UFC 288 title fight
Fernando Quiles Jr. - March 12, 2023
Henry Cejudo doesn’t appear to be sold on his UFC Bantamweight Championship match against Aljamain Sterling actually taking place on May 6. Cejudo is set to challenge Sterling for the top prize in the UFC’s male bantamweight division in the main event of UFC 288. The action will be held inside the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Cejudo took to his Twitter account to suggest to the UFC brass that Sterling’s teammate and close friend Merab Dvalishvili serve as a backup opponent in case Sterling pulls out of the fight (h/t MMAFighting).

Merab Dvalishvili says he would have killed himself if he lost to Petr Yan at UFC Las Vegas
Fernando Quiles Jr. - March 12, 2023
Merab Dvalishvili couldn’t picture a scenario where he wouldn’t get his hand raised in a fight with Petr Yan. Dvalishvili and Yan clashed inside The Theater at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 11 for a “UFC Fight Night” event. It was clear that Dvalishvili’s grappling and pressure left Yan confused on the feet. While Yan is usually loose and creative with his striking, the threat of the takedown, as well as Dvalishvili’s ability to mix it up made it difficult for the former UFC Bantamweight Champion to mount any sort of offense.

Dana White discusses Merab Dvalishvili refusing to fight teammate Aljamain Sterling: “It would be a really bad idea for Merab to go down that path”
Fernando Quiles Jr. - March 12, 2023
UFC President Dana White doesn’t like the idea of Merab Dvalishvili skipping a UFC Bantamweight Championship opportunity for his close friend Aljamain Sterling. Dvalishvili is coming off a one-sided five-round affair against Petr Yan this past Saturday. As UFC color commentator Daniel Cormier mentioned, in any other fight, a performance such as the one Dvalishvili had against Yan, winning via unanimous decision, would have everyone clamoring for him to get a title opportunity. The problem is, Dvalishvili and Sterling have vowed never to fight one another.

Pros react after Merab Dvalishvili defeats Petr Yan at UFC Las Vegas
Chris Taylor - March 11, 2023
Tonight’s UFC Las Vegas event was headlined by a key bantamweight matchup featuring Petr Yan taking on Merab Dvalishvili. Yan (16-5 MMA) had entered tonight’s headliner with hopes of snapping a two-fight losing skid. The former bantamweight champion was coming off back-to-back split decision losses against Sean O’Malley and Aljamain Sterling respectively.

UFC Las Vegas: 'Yan vs. Dvalishvili' Live Results and Highlights
Chris Taylor - March 11, 2023
The Octagon remains in Nevada for tonight’s UFC Las Vegas event, a thirteen-bout fight card headlined by Petr Yan vs. Merab Dvalishvili. Yan (16-4 MMA) will enter tonight’s headliner with hopes of snapping a two-fight losing skid. The former bantamweight champion is coming off back-to-back split decision losses against Sean O’Malley and Aljamain Sterling respectively.

Video | Petr Yan shoves Merab Dvalishvili in neck after ‘The Machine’ calls him a bitch
Cole Shelton - March 10, 2023
Petr Yan got physical with Merab Dvalishvili at the faceoff following weigh-ins. After both Yan and Dvalishvili successfully made weight ahead of their main event, the two had a faceoff and Dvalishvili was heard calling Yan a bitch. After they got closer, Yan grabbed Dvalishvili’s throat and shoved him.