Merab Dvalishvili proved to be “The Machine” earlier tonight (Sat., Sept. 25, 2021) at UFC 266 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, when the bantamweight contender came from behind to stop former title challenger Marlon Moraes via second-round TKO (punches).
Moraes looked good in the early going and clipped Dvalishvili with a filthy left hook. Dvalishvili stumbled around the cage as Moraes unloaded heavy shots in search of a first-round finish. Dvalishvili somehow kept moving and stayed alive to score a timely takedown. That’s when Dvalishvili flipped the script and nearly finished Moraes with hammer fists in what turned out to be one of the wildest five minutes in recent memory.
In Round 2, Dvalishvili kept busy with his ground-and-pound to unload on a defenseless Moraes. The fight probably should have been stopped 50 strikes sooner than it was, but Dvalishvili eventually slammed a final flurry of fists into the head of “The Magician.”
Check out the full fight video highlights below courtesy of UFC/ESPN:
How did Merab survive this
[ #UFC266 | Prelims Live NOW on ESPN+ & ESPNews ] pic.twitter.com/JSn96gVPbi
— UFC (@ufc) September 26, 2021
Do we have a new round of the year contender?
[ #UFC266 | Live on @ESPNPlus & ESPNews ] pic.twitter.com/AkKEXvvM0q
— UFC (@ufc) September 26, 2021
WHAT. A. COMEBACK @MerabDvalishvil survived early danger to earn the TKO at #UFC266 pic.twitter.com/cGk0HornD1
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 26, 2021
For complete UFC 266 results and coverage click here.