Reigning UFC bantamweight champion, Merab Dvalishvili, is already being called the greatest 135-pound titleholder in the history of mixed martial arts (MMA). That’s because “The Machine” was able to shut down Umar Nurmagomedov in the UFC 311 pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event last weekend in Los Angeles.
Not bad for a combatant with zombie leg.
“I mean, he’s fought everybody,” ex-bantamweight champion and former opponent, Henry Cejudo, said on his Pound 4 Pound podcast. “He beat everybody in this division, you could say, in their prime. You just can, man. Merab is the bantamweight GOAT, at least in my eyes. He only has one title defense, but the people who he has beaten is great. Great top five resume maybe in UFC period, right now.”
But Dvalishvili fans who are jumping for joy may want to temper their expectations for 2025, because “The Machine” is in danger of getting unplugged in his inevitable rematch against former champion Sean O’Malley — once “Suga” (18-2, 1 NC) is healthy enough to compete at his peak.
“He’s a problem, he’s a big problem,” coach Tim Welch said on his YouTube channel. “But I do believe that we could be the Kryptonite to Merab with the right gameplan and a good fight camp. With ‘Suga’ healthy, I think we take him out. And we’ll find out, now won’t we?”
O’Malley, 30, is currently recovering from hip surgery to repair damage that may have hampered his first performance against Dvalishvili, a five-round unanimous decision loss atop the UFC 306 card for the promotion’s much-ballyhooed Sphere event in Las Vegas.
For more UFC 311 news and notes click here.