Merab Dvalishvili News

Josh Evanoff - June 14, 2022

UFC bantamweight title contenders Jose Aldo and Merab Dvalishvili could have a date in the near future. The UFC’s 135-pound division is a weight class stacked with contenders. The champion Aljamain Sterling is fresh off a victory over Petr Yan in April at UFC 273. Following the victory, ‘Funk Master’ was rumored for a matchup with either T.J. Dillashaw or Jose Aldo.

Harry Kettle - June 1, 2022

UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling has suggested he will move up in weight if Merab Dvalishvili wins his next fight. For many years now, Aljamain Sterling and Merab Dvalishvili have been close friends and training partners – despite the fact they’re both members of the division’s elite top 15. At this moment in time Dvalishvili is a rising contender whereas Sterling is the undisputed champion after seeing off the challenge of Petr Yan in their rematch earlier this year.

Adam D Martin - November 9, 2021

UFC bantamweight contender Marlon Vera called for a fight against divisional rival Merab Dvalishvili after KOing Frankie Edgar at UFC 268. Vera finished Edgar with a devastating front kick in the third round of their main card bantamweight bout at this past weekend’s UFC 268 pay-per-view event. It was an absolutely phenomenal victory by Vera, who will now be ranked in the top-10 after taking out Edgar in such an impressive fashion. Now that he’s in the top-10 of the UFC bantamweight division, Vera can now start calling out the top guys in the division. By beating Edgar, Vera now has the ability to call out some big names, and he has one in mind in particular in Dvalishvili, who Vera believes he has the style to potentially defeat.

Adam D Martin - September 27, 2021

Top-ranked UFC bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili reacted after his insane TKO comeback win over Marlon Moraes at UFC 266. Dvalishvili took on Moraes on the undercard of this past Saturday night’s UFC 266 pay-per-view card, and the two bantamweights put on quite the show for the fans. The first round saw Moraes nearly knock Dvalishvili out on several occasions, but somehow the Georgian was able to survive the onslaught and make it to the end of the first round. In the second round, Moraes was completely tired out by that point and Dvalishvili was able to pour on the offense using his trademark cardio as a weapon and earn the second-round TKO. It was the seventh win of Dvalishvili’s UFC career and it improved his Octagon record to 7-2.

Adam D Martin - September 24, 2021

One of the rising contenders at 135lbs, Merab Dvalishvili explained why he would never fight UFC bantamweight champion, Aljamain Sterling. Dvalishvili is currently riding a six-fight win streak into his bantamweight bout against Marlon Moraes at this Saturday’s UFC 266 event. Should Dvalishvili win the fight, he would move closer to the top-five of the 135lbs weight class, and therefore, closer to the man at the top, his teammate at Serra-Longo Fight Team, Sterling. The team right now has two of the best bantamweights in the world in the same stable, which could lead to a tricky situation if both men keep winning. But as far as Dvalishvili is concerned, he will not be fighting Sterling, regardless of whether or not there is a belt on the line between them.

Adam Martin - July 4, 2021

UFC bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili confirmed that he is considering a move to the UFC flyweight division in the near future. Dvalishvili is currently the No. 10 ranked bantamweight in the UFC. The 30-year-old Georgia native is 13-4 in his MMA career, including a 6-2 record in the Octagon. “The Machine” has won his last six fights in a row and is quickly emerging as a title contender at 135lbs, where the belt is currently held by Dvalishvili’s teammate Aljamain Sterling. Following a win over Cody Stamann in his last fight, Dvalishvili next faces off against the No. 6 ranked contender Marlon Moraes at UFC 266, and a win would be huge for him.

Adam D Martin - June 16, 2021

An exciting matchup between bantamweight contenders Marlon Moraes and Merab Dvalishvili has been added to the UFC 266 pay-per-view card. Ray Longo, Dvalishvili’s coach, broke the news on the Anik & Florian podcast that Moraes vs. Dvalishvili is going to take place this fall. The bout has been targeted to take place at UFC 266, which is set for September 25 at a location that has yet to be determined. The fight between Moraes vs. Dvalishvili features two of the top-10 ranked UFC bantamweights.

Adam Martin - May 2, 2021

UFC bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili released a statement following his unanimous decision win over Cody Stamann at UFC Vegas 25. Dvalishvili won his sixth straight fight as he improved to 6-2 overall in the UFC with the dominant win over Stamann on the main card of UFC Vegas 25. Dvalishvili utilized his powerful takedowns as he always does, but he also showed improved striking in this matchup as Stamann was at times able to match him in the wrestling department. In the end, Dvalishvili walked away with the win and he emerged as a real player at 135lbs.

Cole Shelton - February 3, 2021

Merab Dvalishvili was out for a casual run and ended up in the hospital. During his run, the 12th-ranked bantamweight contender in Dvalishvili came across a pond. The Georgian native then decided to jump into it thinking it wasn’t frozen, but it turns out it was as he went headfirst into a frozen pond and cut his head on the ice and branches.

Adam Martin - January 10, 2021

An intriguing bantamweight bout between Merab Dvalishvili and Cody Stamann has been added to a UFC Fight Night card on February 6. Dvalishvili and Stamann were originally scheduled to lock horns back on the December 5 card in Las Vegas, but Stamann was forced out of the fight and he was replaced by Raoni Barcelos, who also had to withdraw from the card. However, now that Stamann is able to compete again, the UFC matchmakers decided to go ahead and re-book Dvalishvili vs. Stamann. The two bantamweights will now collide on February 6 on the undercard of the Alistair Overeem vs. Alexander Volkov event.

Adam Martin - November 13, 2020

A fantastic matchup between surging bantamweights Merab Dvalishvili and Raoni Barcelos has been added to next month’s UFC Vegas 16 card. MMAFighting.com first reported details of the matchup between Dvalishvili, the No. 12 ranked bantamweight in the UFC, and the unranked Barcelos, who will look to land a top-15 position in the rankings with a win. They will meet on December 5 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. These are two of the hottest fighters currently competing in the UFC’s 135lbs division and the winner of this contest will likely get a top-10 opponent next.

Harry Kettle - February 28, 2020

Umar Nurmagomedov has been immediately called out by Merab Dvalishvili after it was revealed that he has signed with the UFC. The highly thought of younger cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov has been making waves for a while now, accumulating a 12-0 professional mixed martial arts record prior to his entry into the UFC. The expectations are obviously going to be high regarding what he can accomplish with the promotion, and it doesn’t seem as if the UFC is going to waste any time in booking him.

Tom Taylor - April 23, 2018

On the undercard of Saturday night’s exciting UFC Atlantic City card, Merab Dvalishvili and hist short-notice replacement opponent Rick Simon engaged in an exciting, three-round war. Unfortunately, the end of this contest was shadowed in controversy. As the seconds wore off the clock, Simon, who seemed to be down two rounds, locked up a mounted guillotine. Though the choke looked deep, Dvalishvili showed incredible toughness, refusing to tap and frantically flailing his legs in what looked like an effort to show the referee he was still conscious.