Latest news with #Dvalishvili
USA Today
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Chael Sonnen says Dvalishvili vs. Nurmagomedov best bout in 2025, 'a star was made'
Chael Sonnen thinks Merab Dvalishvili had a breakout moment at UFC 311. UFC bantamweight champion Dvalishvili handed Umar Nurmagomedov his first-career loss in their title fight in January. Not only was he an underdog in the fight, but he had to rally after losing the first two rounds on two of the three judges' scorecards. Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) grew in confidence throughout the fight, and even showboated on numerous occasions against Nurmagomedov (18-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) en route to a unanimous decision win. That's why this matchup gets Sonnen's pick for the Fight of the Year so far. "I do got to go with Merab and Umar. A star was made," Sonnen said on "Good Guy/Bad Guy" with Daniel Cormier. "The audience did not care about Merab at that point. Just to share for you that specific night, he had to jerk the curtain before 'Money' (Renato) Moicano, he was not a main event style fighter, and he was supposed to lose that fight. I think he was close to a 3-1 underdog and, in fact, Merab was losing that fight until he wasn't. "He came back, he started showboating, things that people generally have been annoyed when Merab does, they started to get behind him. The audience started to get into it, they started to understand Merab, and at the end of those 25 minutes not only had he solidified and clarified that he is the best in the world, he also won over the people, and that's a very difficult thing to do." Dvalishvili has since notched his second title defense by submitting Sean O'Malley in the UFC 316 main event, defeating "The Suga Show" for a second time.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UFC champ Merab Dvalishvili recalls getting dropped twice by Ilia Topuria in sparring: 'He hits too hard'
Ilia Topuria may already be worthy of legend status before he turns 30 years old. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) Merab Dvalishvili and Ilia Topuria are two of the best fighters on the planet. Thanks to their shared Georgian backgrounds, the pair of UFC champions and pound-for-pound stars have grown close during their rises to MMA gold. June was a big month for each, starting with Dvalishvili's second successful bantamweight title defense with his submission of Sean O'Malley at UFC 316. Topuria followed that performance with style points of his own, capturing lightweight gold with a brilliant first-round knockout of Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 this past Saturday. Advertisement Speaking in-studio on Monday's edition of "The Ariel Helwani Show" from Las Vegas, Dvalishvili sang Topuria's praises — and revealed that his countryman is now too lethal to even spar with. "He's just special. He's just different, man," Dvalishvili said of the new lightweight champ. "He's so smart, he's so organized. Even, he's different than his brother [UFC fighter Aleksandre Topuria]. His brother also very talented, very good fighter, but Ilia, he's sees things before [they happen]. He works for it, he has a plan, and he's just doing it, man. "I've sparred with him. He has great wrestling, great jiu-jitsu, and we all know that he hits [hard]. I can't spar with him anymore, he hits too hard. ... He dropped me two times from body shots. Thank God, my head is fine. Every time I finish sparring with him, I was happy and thank God, it's over. He hits very good." Both champions are riding lengthy win streaks into the second half of 2025, though Topuria remains unbeaten in totality after 17 professional fights, with his past three wins coming at the brutal expense of all-time legends. Advertisement Topuria, 28, has been touted as the sport's next potential superstar since before his UFC featherweight championship reign even began early last year. Seeing firsthand how Topuria is not only a fighter, but also as a person, only boosts that idea for Dvalishvili. "He speaks our language Georgian, he speaks English, he speaks Spanish, I think he speaks Russian too, which I don't speak Russian. I don't know. Maybe he speaks others too," Dvalishvili said. "He's so smart, man. He was born in Germany, but he's 100% Georgian. Some people make fun of, 'Oh, you were born in Germany.' Yes, but he grew up as a Georgian, and then also he experienced Georgia. He was in school in Georgia, he had street fights in Georgia. He experienced it all. "When he was growing up in Georgia, his parents immigrated to Spain, and then he was growing up with his grandfather and grandmother. He was growing up in one of the ghetto towns." While a potential fight against lightweight contender Paddy Pimblett would be the exception, what makes Topuria's rise even more impressive is that he's ascended to stardom without a heated rival. While his supreme confidence can be misconstrued as arrogance, "El Matador" has shown massive respect to his recent three legendary opponents: Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and most recently, Oliveira. Advertisement Topuria was even famously heard apologizing to "Do Bronx" before UFC 317 for having to fight him — and for the consequences that would ultimately come with it. Dvalishvili recalled sharing words of advice with Topuria before the fight, helping to maintain that focus and channel proper energy into the matchup regardless of any personal feelings. "He even told me the day before, like, 'Bro, it's crazy. [Oliveira is] such a nice guy, and I just finished the press conference with him. He's such a nice guy,' and I told him, '[Alexander] Volkanovski was also such a nice guy, but tomorrow, [Oliveira] is your enemy. You can be friends after. You just gotta go do your thing,'" Dvalishvili said. As for Dvalishvili, he expects his next bantamweight title defense to come opposite Cory Sandhagen. Ideally, Dvalishvili hopes for a return in October, but is also highly enticed by the possibility of competing in New York's Madison Square Garden for the first time in November. "I want to fight as soon as possible," Dvalishvili said. "They have an event here in Las Vegas, October 4, I think. I want to fight soon. I don't want to wait much. Maybe I should wait until November, MSG."
USA Today
01-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Cory Sandhagen 'not going to be afraid to wrestle' UFC champ Merab Dvalishvili
LAS VEGAS - Cory Sandhagen is not backing down from the challenge of dethroning UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili. Sandhagen (18-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC) is expected to be next in line for Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) after finishing Deiveson Figueiredo in the UFC on ESPN 67 headliner in May. Nobody's had an answer for Dvalishvili's relentless pace, grappling, and cardio, with his resume including wins over Sean O'Malley twice, Umar Nurmagomedov, Petr Yan, Henry Cejudo, and more. However, Sandhagen says he won't fear taking the fight to Dvalishvili – even in the grappling exchanges. "I mean, everyone has holes," Sandhagen told MMA Junkie Radio of Dvalishvili. "I'm going to be better than him, that's how I'm going to do it. I'm going to go out, and I'm just going to be better everywhere. I'm not going to be afraid to wrestle him. I'm not going to buy into this narrative that Merab is this unbeatable thing. In all of his fights, he's had moments where he's looked beatable, and I'm going to go out there and make Merab deal with me." Sandhagen, who's beaten contenders such as former flyweight title holder Figueiredo, Song Yadong, and Marlon Vera, is confident that his skillset has rounded up well enough to become UFC champion. "I'm really good right now," Sandhagen said. "I train a lot, man. I train a lot, a lot, and that pays off after a long time. I know that everyone says they train a lot, but I know what they mean when they say that, and I know what I mean when I say it. I train a lot, I'm always getting better, I'm always adding in new things. "One of my favorite things about the sport is adding new weapons, and I know not everyone is like that, but I'm built that way. So, yeah, I'm pumped. I get to go out and look different in six months or whenever it is that we fight and be the best version of myself and a world champ."
USA Today
25-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Ray Longo: Rematch with Merab Dvalishvili 'maybe worse' for Umar Nurmagomedov
Ray Longo is confident that UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili beats Umar Nurmagomedov in even more emphatic fashion if they rematch. Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) handed Nurmagomedov (18-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) his first-career loss when he defeated him by unanimous decision at UFC 311 in January. However, Dvalishvili lost the first two rounds on two of the three judges' scorecards before rallying to win the fight. Two of Dvalishvili's three title wins came over Sean O'Malley. He dethroned O'Malley to become bantamweight champion in a decision win at UFC 306, but was able to submit him in their rematch at UFC 316. If Nurmagomedov ends up running things back with Dvalishvili, Longo thinks that'll spell bad news for the Dagestani fighter. "The same way the first fight went," Longo told Red Corner MMA on how he sees Dvalishvili vs. Nurmagomedov 2 going. "Maybe worse, just like O'Malley. The O'Malley, first one he didn't finish. The second one – the more comfortable Merab gets, the better he's going to get. He already fought Umar, he's got the confidence now. "You got to remember, even in the Umar fight, he played around a little bit. No playing around would have been a different story. So, he's getting more serious with the fighting, with that part. You didn't see it in the O'Malley fight, no playing around at all. No kissing, no looking away. He was all business so, he's going to do that – I believe he'll do that to Umar, too." Nurmagomedov hasn't competed since losing to Dvalishvili due to surgery for a broken hand suffered in the fight. Cory Sandhagen is currently the frontrunner for Dvalishvili's next title defense.
USA Today
18-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Joe Rogan in awe of 'freak' UFC champ Merab Dvalishvili
Joe Rogan in awe of 'freak' UFC champ Merab Dvalishvili Joe Rogan is fascinated by UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili's unparalleled conditioning. No one has been able to keep up with Dvalishvili (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) during his 13-fight unbeaten run, which includes wins over former champions Jose Aldo, Petr Yan, Henry Cejudo, and Sean O'Malley twice. In his most recent title defense, Dvalishvili scored his first finish since September 2021 when he submitted O'Malley in the UFC 316 main event earlier this month. "That guy is insane," Rogan said of Dvalishvili on a recent episode of his "Joe Rogan Experience" podcast. "He's insane. His cardio is like something that everyone, who has been involved in the sport for as long as I have, is blown away by it. The guy's a freak. Daniel Cormier went to visit him after he won the title. He won the title Saturday night at the Sphere in Vegas, beat Sean O'Malley, dominant five-round decision, just steamrolled him. The next day, Daniel Cormier goes to visit him, and he's out running. He doesn't stop. Doesn't stop. "Just this guy from Georgia, from this war-torn country who just embraces that f*cking grind at a level that nobody else can compete with, and when he gets in the ring, no one can match his cardio. No one can match his pace. He melts the greatest of the greats." Rogan was especially impressed when Dvalishvili bounced Umar Nurmagomedov out of the ranks of the unbeaten at UFC 311. Dvalishvili was down two rounds on two of the judges' scorecards before rallying to get the win. "You see guys like Umar Nurmagomedov, who's elite, he's world class," Rogan said. "Like at any other time, he'd be a world champion, and Merab is just overwhelming him. You see him just getting overwhelmed by the pace, and Merab doesn't even get tired. He's a freak."
