Tag: Merab Dvalishvili

Merab Dvalishvili Names Sean O’Malley As Number 1 Opponent Choice

Merab DvalishviliThe UFC’s No.6 ranked bantamweight contender, Merab Dvalishvili, says he ‘would love’ to fight rising star, Sean O’Malley. UFC fans were first introduced to Georgian in 2017 when he featured in an episode of Dana White’s Looking For a Fight. Merab Dvalishvili produced a stunning 15-second knockout to earn himself a UFC contract. Now almost […]

Merab Dvalishvili

The UFC’s No.6 ranked bantamweight contender, Merab Dvalishvili, says he ‘would love’ to fight rising star, Sean O’Malley.

UFC fans were first introduced to Georgian in 2017 when he featured in an episode of Dana White’s Looking For a Fight. Merab Dvalishvili produced a stunning 15-second knockout to earn himself a UFC contract. Now almost five years on, riding a seven-fight win streak and coming off a stoppage win over former title challenger, Marlon Moraes, ‘The Machine’ is now in search of big fish.

Although on an impressive run, we have not seen Dvalishvili compete since September with seemingly no fight booked for the near future. However, talking with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, Dvalishvili explained that this was no fault of his own.

“Every time the UFC reach us, they ask me, you wanna fight this guy, or this guy, at this time? Always yes, they know my answer.”

“I don’t care who will be my next opponent, I really don’t care from top 15. You know, I think I deserve someone from top 10, but I really don’t care.”

The Long Island trained Dvalishvili also stated that in an ideal world, his opponent of choice would be ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley.

“I would love to fight ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley but he has a fight already. He’s ducking me for three years. Last three years, I’ve been calling him. Who else? Maybe, I would love to fight ‘Chito’ Vera. I would love a fight with Dominick Cruz, Cory Sandhagen.”

After a rough start in the UFC, losing his first two bouts, Dvalishvili has rebounded and now sees himself inserted into to the deep end of one of MMA’s most talented weight classes.

The 31-year-old also holds notable wins over Casey Kenny, John Dodson, and Cody Stamann. In 2019, while under contract with the UFC, Dvalishvili would compete in the 2019 Combat Sambo World Championship and would take home a silver medal.

Who would you like to see Merab Dvalishvili fight next?

Aljamain Sterling “Will Probably Have To Move Up” To Allow Merab Dvalishvili “To Make History For Georgia”

Aljamain Sterling, Merab DvalishviliUFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling is looking to go up a weight class to give Merab Dvalishvili a chance for the title. Coming off an impressive win in his second outing against Petr Yan, Sterling proved many doubters wrong with a unanimous decision. While other contenders are getting back in the mix for title contention, […]

Aljamain Sterling, Merab Dvalishvili

UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling is looking to go up a weight class to give Merab Dvalishvili a chance for the title.

Coming off an impressive win in his second outing against Petr Yan, Sterling proved many doubters wrong with a unanimous decision. While other contenders are getting back in the mix for title contention, no solid name has been finalized for the 135-lbs king. TJ Dillashaw has emerged as the forerunner for his next fight but Jose Aldo could be on the horizon as well.

Aljamain Sterling backs Merab Dvalishvili to create history for Georgia

According to Aljamain Sterling, moving up a weight class makes the most sense given his longtime teammate Merab Dvalishvili wins his next bout. ‘Funkmaster’ was interacting with his fans on Twitter when he declared Dvalishvili and himself to dominate the division ahead.

“When will people learn? Bring the smoke!! Pillashaw, Hank, Oldo, Chetr, keep doubting me! Making all your GOATs look “average” at best. Merab and I will dominate this weight class for years to come.”

When asked by a fan about the possibility of competing against his teammate, Sterling revealed his intentions to go up to 145-lbs once Dvalishvili wins his next fight.

“After Merab’s next win, I will probably have to move up, to allow him his chance that he earned, to make history for Georgia to win a world title. We will figure it out.”

Rise of Georgian talent in MMA

With a sport as globally connected as mixed martial arts, it’s always an exciting time to see fighters crop up from different parts of the world. From its infancy in Japan, the Vale Tudo days in Brazil, to finally reaching the West Coast of the US to work towards the UFC, MMA has come a long way.

There has been a recent surge in talent coming from the European nation of Georgia, with Giga Chikadze, and Ilya Topuria being the most well-recognized faces in the promotion. Dvalishvili adds to the list as he hopes to be the first champion in the UFC from the area.

Following an uneventful opening under the UFC banner that saw him drop his first two outings, Merab Dvalishvili has gone on to rack up seven straight wins including a finish against former title challenger Marlon Moraes in his latest bout.

Dvalishvili & Brady Express Frustration With Lack Of Fight Bookings

UFC welterweight Sean Brady and bantamweight Merab Dvalishvili both recently issued pleas for a fight on their social media platforms. Brady and Dvalishvili are both surging contenders in their respective divisions. They both have been eagerly waiting for their next UFC assignments following impressive performances in their last Octagon appearances. As of the writing of…

Continue Reading Dvalishvili & Brady Express Frustration With Lack Of Fight Bookings at MMA News.

UFC welterweight Sean Brady and bantamweight Merab Dvalishvili both recently issued pleas for a fight on their social media platforms.

Brady and Dvalishvili are both surging contenders in their respective divisions. They both have been eagerly waiting for their next UFC assignments following impressive performances in their last Octagon appearances.

As of the writing of this story, Brady lands at No. 9 in the welterweight rankings, while Dvalishvili sits at No. 6 at bantamweight.

While there has been a slew of fight announcements in recent weeks, Brady and Dvalishvili are both frustrated to be left out of the conversation. In a recent tweet, Brady made his case to get a fight booked as soon as possible.

“The last guy I beat was ranked #6,” Brady tweeted. “Everyone in the top 10 knows me, and they don’t say my name. That’s the truth. Top10 let’s get this division moving let’s go!”

Brady is a perfect 15-0 in his professional MMA career, and most recently earned a unanimous decision win over Michael Chiesa last November.

Just before Brady’s tweet, Dvalishvili expressed his frustration with the lack of movement in the bantamweight division.

“Someone from top 10 Bantamweight needs to call my name !” Dvalishvili pleaded. “I have been ready to go since my last fight back in September. Who is ready for me ??? Lets goooo!”

Dvalishvili most recently defeated former bantamweight title challenger Marlon Moraes at UFC 266. He’s also picked up wins over John Dodson and Cody Stamann on his way up the bantamweight ranks.

Brady had called out Vicente Luque and Stephen Thompson for fights, but Luque was most recently booked to face Geoff Neal later this year. Thompson has appeared reluctant to accept Brady’s past callouts.

Dvalishvili has hinted at a potential move to flyweight if his teammate and bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling holds on to the title.

Brady and Dvalishvili are looking to make their Octagon returns later this year, and preferably the sooner the better.

Who would you like to see Sean Brady and Merab Dvalishvili fight next?

Continue Reading Dvalishvili & Brady Express Frustration With Lack Of Fight Bookings at MMA News.

The Pulse of MMA: Was One Fighter Merobbed Of 2021 Best Comeback?

The Pulse of MMA: Fan Reactions To The Sport’s Biggest Stories

In this installment of The Pulse of MMA, we look at the raw, unfiltered reactions from MMA fans to the UFC’s nominations for Best Comeback of 2021.

It’s the last week of 2021, which …

Merab Dvalishvili

The Pulse of MMA: Fan Reactions To The Sport’s Biggest Stories

In this installment of The Pulse of MMA, we look at the raw, unfiltered reactions from MMA fans to the UFC’s nominations for Best Comeback of 2021.

It’s the last week of 2021, which means it’s time to start looking back at the biggest and best moments of the year. Right now, that means taking a peek at the UFC’s nominations for the best comeback of the year.

After a brief recap of each comeback, you can find the Pulse of MMA letting their collective voice be heard on their thoughts on the final vote tally of the UFC’s poll.

Charles Oliveira def. Michael Chandler (UFC 262)

In the first round, Michael Chandler got off to a very hot start after an opening grappling exchange. After Chandler had his back taken by Charles Oliveira and lived to tell about it, he tagged Oliveira on the feet while pushing a frenetic pace on the Brazilian. It looked as though Oliveira might have been on his way out, but the second round gave fans an alternate ending.

Anthony Hernandez def. Rodolfo Vieira (UFC 258)

First, to add a little context. Rodolfo Vieira entered this fight as the largest favorite on the card at a wide -410. At the start of the fight, Vieira looked every bit the part of the heavy favorite. He easily slammed Hernandez to the mat in the first round, which looked to be the beginning of the four-time jiu-jitsu world champion putting an early end to the fight.

After failing to lock in an arm triangle followed by an unsuccessful armbar attempt, Hernandez was stunningly able to scramble back up to his feet and begin to tee off on the muscle-bound Brazilian. Then, in the second round, this happened:

Julian Marquez def. Maki Pitolo (UFC 258)

That’s right, back-to-back nominees from UFC 258. In this one, Marquez actually entered as the slight favorite, but you couldn’t tell by the way the fight started. After clearly being down 2-0 on the judges’ scorecards and looking to be well on his way to a loss, Marquez summoned the powers of Miley Cyrus and the Kansas City Chiefs to pull this off in the final round.

Merab Dvalishvili def. Marlon Moraes (UFC 266)

Brian Ortega was oh so close to being the nominee from UFC 266 in what would have been an incredible comeback win in the third round of the main event. Instead, Merab Dvalishvili grabs the nom’ from his win over Marlon Moraes.

MMA fans know that first-round Moraes is one of the most lethal fighters in the sport. And those early powers were nearly enough to make the Brazilian the first man to ever KO the roughhouse Georgian.

It was a big left hand from Moraes in the 1st round that began the danger for Dvalishvili, which was followed by a ferocious onslaught that dropped the Georgian and had him still on wobbly legs before he was able to somehow scramble back up to his feet. After barely managing to survive, here is what happened in the next round:

MMA Fans Weigh In

Finally, here is what the Pulse of MMA had to say about the UFC’s nominations list after Oliveira took home the most votes on the official poll.

What say you, MMA News Family? Was Dvalishvili Merobbed by the “casuals” or was Charles Oliveira the rightful winner?

Continue Reading The Pulse of MMA: Was One Fighter Merobbed Of 2021 Best Comeback? at MMA News.

Aljamain Sterling Shares What Might Make Him Move To Featherweight

Aljamain Sterling is just beginning his run as bantamweight champ, but he might have a reason to make a move up to 145 pounds.

It isn’t usual for champions in one division to start thinking about moving up before they have ever had their first tit…

Aljamain Sterling

Aljamain Sterling is just beginning his run as bantamweight champ, but he might have a reason to make a move up to 145 pounds.

It isn’t usual for champions in one division to start thinking about moving up before they have ever had their first title defense, but Aljamin Sterling is. He isn’t ready to abandon ship just yet, but he could definitely envision a case in which he might make a move. That scenario would be to help out a teammate.

Sterling was asked recently in an interview with The Schmo about the possibility of facing his teammate Merab Dvalishvili. Both are at bantamweight in the UFC, Sterling as the champion, Dvalishvili quickly rising up the rankings.

“I’ve thought about it in the sense of, what would that even feel like? What would that even look like? I can see this with everybody else, but I could never envision Merab standing across the Octagon, one of these refs saying, ‘Are you ready? Are you ready? Fight.’ I think, at that point, things change dramatically in terms of relationships,” Sterling said. “You saw that with [Kamaru] Usman and Gilbert Burns. I think it changes everything. It changes the relationship. I mean, he’s helped me do so much. I’ve helped him do so much. I just could never see myself competing against a guy like that.”

The feeling is mutual as Dvalishvili has also stressed that he would not face his friend and teammate. This situation has come up before in which teammates would have to sit on the outside looking in while a teammate holds the belt.

Sterling went so far as to say he would consider leaving the division if he was not fairing well to give Dvalishvili a shot.

“I would even entertain going up to ’45 if it came down to it,” Sterling said. “If it came down to: I’m having a tough run at ’35 and he’s killing at ’35, and we’re at different points in our career, it’s like, maybe I need to change things up. You see that all the time. And maybe I go up a weight class.”

Sterling is recovering from injury at this point and waiting to finally make his first title defense. Dvalishvili is currently sitting in sixth and has won seven in a row.

How do you think Aljamain Sterling would do if he were to make the move to featherweight?

Continue Reading Aljamain Sterling Shares What Might Make Him Move To Featherweight at MMA News.

UFC 266 Bonuses: Volkanovski & Ortega Get $50K For FOTN

UFC 266 was a fantastic card with some great fights. There were some amazing finishes and performances this Saturday. Here are some of the fighters that walked away with an extra ,000 on behalf of UFC President Dana White. ‘Fight of the Night’: Alexander Volkanovski vs Brian Ortega In what might have been the best […]

UFC 266 was a fantastic card with some great fights. There were some amazing finishes and performances this Saturday.

Here are some of the fighters that walked away with an extra ,000 on behalf of UFC President Dana White.

‘Fight of the Night’: Alexander Volkanovski vs Brian Ortega

In what might have been the best featherweight title fight of all time, Alexander ‘The Great’ Volkanovski defeated Brian Ortega via unanimous decision. Volkanovski was in a few dangerous moments including a deep mounted guillotine and an extremely tight triangle choke. Volkanovski dominated 4/5 rounds and continues to show he is the best featherweight fighter in the world. Both Ortega and Volkanovski take home an extra $50,000 for their instant classic.

‘Performance of the Night’: Merab Dvalishvili

Dvalishvili appeared to be down and out of the fight against Marlon Moraes multiple times in the first round. He ended up rallying back and taking down Moraes 4 times before the fight was stopped in the 2nd round by TKO (ground and pound).

‘Performance of the Night’: Chris Daukaus

Chris Daukaus has now put together a 4 fight UFC win streak and has propelled himself even higher in the rankings after his 2nd TKO of Shamil Abdurakhimov. This is now Daukaus’s 3rd bonus check in 4 fights with the UFC. The young fighter is making a big name for himself quickly in the heavyweight division.

Do you think the right people got bonus money at UFC 266?