Tag: Merab Dvalishvili

UFC 311 Press Conference Live Stream: Featuring Makhachev, Tsarukyan, Dvalishvili & Nurmagomedov

UFC 311 will kick off the promotion’s pay-per-view schedule for 2025, and MMA News has you covered with this week’s press conference. The MMA leader has business to attend to in Las Vegas on Saturday night before focus turns to next year’s opening numbered event, but Friday will see attention briefly on the Jan. 18 […]

UFC 311 will kick off the promotion’s pay-per-view schedule for 2025, and MMA News has you covered with this week’s press conference.

The MMA leader has business to attend to in Las Vegas on Saturday night before focus turns to next year’s opening numbered event, but Friday will see attention briefly on the Jan. 18 card in Los Angeles before the UFC 310 ceremonial weigh-ins.

Appearing on stage with mic in hand will be the four UFC 311 headliners — Islam Makhachev, Arman Tsarukyan, Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov.

See below for a live stream of the UFC 311 presser via the UFC’s official YouTube channel, commencing at 6 PM ET.

UFC 311, set to play out inside the Intuit Dome, will be headlined by Makhachev’s (26-1) fourth defense of the lightweight title. Since capturing it at the expense of Charles Oliveira in 2022, the Dagestani has turned away two challenges from featherweight legend Alexander Volkanovski and one from Dustin Poirier.

Makhachev could now be set for his toughest test to date as he runs it back with the charging Tsarukyan (22-3). The Russian-Armenian secured his first shot at gold with a victory over Oliveira at UFC 300 this past April. And given how competitive his 2019 fight with the champ was, he’s confident of being the one to start a new chapter at 155 pounds.

There will also be title stakes in the co-main event, meanwhile, as Dvalishvili (18-4) puts his newly won bantamweight belt on the line for the first time. Four months on from unseating Sean O’Malley at UFC 306 inside the Sphere, the Georgian is tasked with blemishing the perfect record of Nurmagomedov (18-0) if he’s to add a successful retention to his résumé.

A number of other intriguing matchups are scheduled for the stacked card. The current fights expected to take place at UFC 311 in Los Angeles on Jan. 18 are as follows:

  • Islam Makhachev (C) vs. Arman Tsarukyan (lightweight championship)
  • Merab Dvalishvili (C) vs. Umar Nurmagomedov (bantamweight championship)
  • Ji?í Procházka vs. Jamahal Hill (light heavyweight)
  • Reinier de Ridder vs. Kevin Holland (middleweight)
  • Beneil Dariush vs. Renato Moicano (lightweight)
  • Jailton Almeida vs. Serghei Spivac (heavyweight)
  • Rinya Nakamura vs. Muin Gafarov (bantamweight)
  • Tagir Ulanbekov vs. Clay Carpenter (flyweight)
  • Johnny Walker vs. Bogdan Guskov (light heavyweight)
  • Karol Rosa vs. Ailín Pérez (women’s bantamweight)
  • Zachary Reese vs. Sedriques Dumas (middleweight)
  • Payton Talbott vs. Raoni Barcelos (bantamweight)
  • Grant Dawson vs. Diego Ferreira (lightweight)
  • Ricky Turcios vs. Benardo Sopaj (bantamweight)

Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan 2, Dvalishvili vs. Nurmagomedov Official For UFC 311

The mixed martial arts leader is set to open its pay-per-view schedule for 2025 in style, having confirmed championship defenses for both Islam Makhachev and Merab Dvalishvili for UFC 311. Octagon action will head to Los Angeles for the first numbered event of the new year, with the new Intuit Dome playing host to a […]

The mixed martial arts leader is set to open its pay-per-view schedule for 2025 in style, having confirmed championship defenses for both Islam Makhachev and Merab Dvalishvili for UFC 311.

Octagon action will head to Los Angeles for the first numbered event of the new year, with the new Intuit Dome playing host to a lineup that already looks likely to be among the most stacked across the next 12 months.

And following additions like Ji?í Procházka vs. Jamahal Hill and Reinier de Ridder vs. Kevin Holland, as well as returns for Jailton Almeida and Johnny Walker, a pair of blockbuster headliners are now official.

UFC CEO Dana White took to social media this week to confirm that the long-rumored rematch between Makhachev (26-1) and Arman Tsarukyan (22-3) for the lightweight gold will indeed headline the event on Jan. 18.

And despite his callout of other contenders, bantamweight king Dvalishvili (18-4) will put his belt on the line against the undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov (18-0), who looks to set the stage for his stablemate’s defense in the final fight of the night by adding to the team’s trophy cabinet.

Makhachev has recorded three defenses since defeating Charles Oliveira to achieve champ status. After back-to-back wins over Alexander Volkanovski in 2023, the Dagestani most recently turned back the challenge of Dustin Poirier. Makhachev is now set to run it back with a charging contender whom he narrowly outpointed back in 2019. Tsarukyan enters his first title shot riding momentum from a triumph over Oliveira at UFC 300.

Dvalishvili, meanwhile, will be making his first defense at UFC 311, five months on from his victory over Sean O’Malley at the Sphere. That result extended his winning run to 11 straight fights and followed success opposite former champions Petr Yan and Henry Cejudo. Nurmagomedov, on the other hand, is yet to taste defeat inside the cage. The Russian most recently staked his claim for a championship opportunity by getting the better of the highly regarded Cory Sandhagen across five rounds in Abu Dhabi.

With these additions, the current fights expected to take place at UFC 311 in Los Angeles on Jan. 18 are as follows:

  • Islam Makhachev (C) vs. Arman Tsarukyan (lightweight championship)
  • Merab Dvalishvili (C) vs. Umar Nurmagomedov (bantamweight championship)
  • Ji?í Procházka vs. Jamahal Hill (light heavyweight)
  • Reinier de Ridder vs. Kevin Holland (middleweight)
  • Jailton Almeida vs. Serghei Spivac (heavyweight)
  • Rinya Nakamura vs. Muin Gafarov (bantamweight)
  • Johnny Walker vs. Bogdan Guskov (light heavyweight)
  • Karol Rosa vs. Ailín Pérez (women’s bantamweight)
  • Zachary Reese vs. Sedriques Dumas (middleweight)
  • Payton Talbott vs. Raoni Barcelos (bantamweight)
  • Grant Dawson vs. Diego Ferreira (lightweight)
  • Ricky Turcios vs. Benardo Sopaj (bantamweight)

Sean O’Malley Shuts Down Petr Yan’s Rematch Request, Keeps Sights On Merab Dvalishvili

Sean O’Malley appears to have nothing in his crosshairs except redemption opposite UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili next year. O’Malley was thrust off the throne in emphatic fashion by Dvalishvili in the main event of UFC 306 at the Sphere this past September, bringing an end to his reign in its second defense. “Sugar” subsequently […]

Sean O’Malley appears to have nothing in his crosshairs except redemption opposite UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili next year.

O’Malley was thrust off the throne in emphatic fashion by Dvalishvili in the main event of UFC 306 at the Sphere this past September, bringing an end to his reign in its second defense.

“Sugar” subsequently headed for surgery to repair a torn labrum and is targeting a return in the first or second quarter of 2025. And he was recently called out by a familiar foe for his comeback fight.

“I would lean towards a rematch with Sean O’Malley,” Petr Yan told Ariel Helwani. “I don’t know what’s going on with him. He’s out for nine or 12 months, so maybe he got pregnant.”

Yan’s comments come after he made it two wins from two in 2024 by outpointing Deiveson Figueiredo in Macau. While he’s gone back and forth with Dvalishvili over a rematch for the title, Umar Nurmagomedov is widely seen as the deserving next in line at 135 pounds.

With that in mind, the Russian may need to look elsewhere for his next assignment. And judging by O’Malley’s reaction to his request for a redo, his door has been firmly shut for “No Mercy.”

“I predict it will be early Q2. Against Merab. Thanks for asking,” O’Malley wrote in his response on X.

O’Malley has repeatedly outlined his intention to return straight into a shot at avenging his decision defeat to “The Machine.”

With the timeline for Nurmagomedov’s expected maiden title opportunity still uncertain as the year approaches its conclusion, it remains to be seen what lies ahead for both O’Malley and Yan in 2025.

Merab Dvalishvili Touts Aljamain Sterling’s UFC 310 Prep: ‘Controlled Me, Smashed Me’

Merab Dvalishvili is expecting a strong performance from his teammate Aljamain Sterling, as the former UFC bantamweight champion gears up for his second outing as a featherweight. Following the end of his reign at 135 pounds last year — and after having his calls for a rematch with Sean O’Malley fall on deaf ears — […]

Merab Dvalishvili is expecting a strong performance from his teammate Aljamain Sterling, as the former UFC bantamweight champion gears up for his second outing as a featherweight.

Following the end of his reign at 135 pounds last year — and after having his calls for a rematch with Sean O’Malley fall on deaf ears — Sterling committed to a long-discussed move up in weight.

And he debuted at 145 pounds in convincing fashion, comfortably outpointing veteran ranked contender Calvin Kattar across three rounds at UFC 300 in Las Vegas this past April.

After arriving in the featherweight top 10, Sterling’s sophomore appearance in the division at UFC 310 will come against an undefeated contender inside the top five, Russia’s Movsar Evloev.

Although he’ll enter the cage as a sizable underdog on Dec. 7, Sterling’s team is unsurprisingly confident of an upset.

During a video recently uploaded to Sterling’s YouTube channel, Dvalishvili spoke about “Funk Master’s” upcoming return, having once again been a part of the 35-year-old’s training camp.

The reigning bantamweight kingpin admitted struggling to hang with the featherweight contender on the mats. And with that in mind, he foresees Sterling ‘smashing’ the undefeated Evloev.

“Aljo feels really strong,” Dvalishvili said. “Now he did a bunch of rounds of jiu-jitsu too. He did two rounds with me. I couldn’t do anything. He was on top of me, controlled me, smashed me. That means that Aljo is going to smash his opponent – even though his opponent is really good.

“I have so much respect for Movsar Evloev, but that’s how the fight game is. The stronger guy wins,” Dvalishvili continued. “I’m very comfortable with Aljo because he’s focused and he feels really strong.”

Sterling will hope to prove Dvalishvili’s assessment correct come fight night in “Sin City,” where he’ll look to move past his disappointment at being placed on the prelims and deliver a statement-making performance at the expense of Evloev.

And should he succeed in that goal, a shot at Ilia Topuria’s featherweight gold and two-division glory could await the New York native in 2025.

Daniel Cormier Ready to Take Over UFC Matchmaking Duties, Fantasy Books Bantamweight Top 10

Daniel Cormier Ready to Take Over UFC Matchmaking Duties, Fantasy Books Bantamweight Top 10Stand back Sean Shelby, Daniel Cormier has got this. The UFC’s bantamweight division is perhaps the most stacked weight…

Daniel Cormier Ready to Take Over UFC Matchmaking Duties, Fantasy Books Bantamweight Top 10

Stand back Sean Shelby, Daniel Cormier has got this.

The UFC’s bantamweight division is perhaps the most stacked weight class in all of mixed martial arts, boasting a slew of former and future world champions like Sean O’Malley, Petr Yan, Deiveson Figueiredo, Henry Cejudo, and Umar Nurmagomedov.

Then there’s 135-pound titleholder Merab Dvalishvili who’s coming off a stellar performance against ‘Sugar’ at UFC 306 in Las Vegas.

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Riding an 11-fight win streak dating back to 2018, ‘The Machine’ will look to keep his unbeaten run alive when he inevitably locks up with the No. 2 ranked Nurmagomedov in 2025.

But what about the rest of the division?

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Cormier Reveals his bantamweight wishlist

Following Petr Yan’s impressive win over Figueiredo in Macau, there are a lot of intriguing matchups to be had at 135. Doing the UFC’s job for them, Cormier broke down what he believes are the bantamweight matches that the promotion should be booking for the new year.

“There is a bunch of guys at 135 that need to be matched up. So I figured, it’s time for some matchmaking,” Cormier said on his ESPN show Good Guy/Bad Guy with Chael Sonnen. “For the title…easy, Merab vs. Umar. … Then I go Yan vs. Sandhagen (2) as my second fight, Chael. Because then it gives you a clear number one contender.

“Sean O’Malley needs a big fight, right? You know who else needs a big fight? Henry Cejudo. These guys have a beef, an easy beef to sell…I say put Sean O’Malley in there with the former champion Henry Cejudo. That means more than a win over Cory Sandhagen,” Cormier continued. “After that, I’m going Figgy (Deiveson Figueiredo) vs. Dominick Cruz. And my last one, Chael, we’ve got to give Mario Bautista a chance. … I’m giving him (Marlon) ‘Chito’ Vera” (h/t MMA News).

Chances are, Sean O’Malley will walk straight into a title fight once he’s ready to return following the loss against Dvalishvili in Vegas.

Also, Yan seems to think that his win over Figueiredo has already made him worthy of a rematch with ‘The Machine,’ as evidenced by his recent post on social media responding to the reigning champ’s praise.

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Dvalishvili seemed to like the idea, even going so far as to offer ‘No Mercy’ an exact date for their potential rematch.

“Great fight Petr (Yan),” Dvalishvili said in a video posted on X. “I like your callout, and I like your respect. Let’s go again, after 2 years. March 8th, T Mobile. Let’s f*cking go.”

What bantamweight matchups would you like to see in the coming year?

Sean O’Malley Slams Merab Dvalishvili Pushing For Petr Yan Rematch: ‘Sh*tting Himself Terrified Of Umar’

Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley hasn’t been impressed with the actions of Merab Dvalishvili since he ascended to the throne this past September. Dvalishvili achieved his title ambitions on MMA’s biggest stage inside the unique surroundings of the Sphere, where he comfortably got the better of O’Malley across five rounds. In attendance was Umar […]

Former UFC bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley hasn’t been impressed with the actions of Merab Dvalishvili since he ascended to the throne this past September.

Dvalishvili achieved his title ambitions on MMA’s biggest stage inside the unique surroundings of the Sphere, where he comfortably got the better of O’Malley across five rounds.

In attendance was Umar Nurmagomedov, the consensus number one contender who staked his claim for a shot against the Noche UFC main event winner when he defeated Cory Sandhagen in Abu Dhabi the previous month.

But the Dagestani hasn’t been getting a positive response from the champ ever since, with “The Machine” instead first branding Deiveson Figueiredo a more worthy challenger before pitching dates to run it back with both O’Malley and Petr Yan.

The latter caught Dvalishvili’s attention when he outpointed Figueiredo in this past weekend’s UFC Macau main event. The Georgian has called for “No Mercy” to be the opponent in his first defense at UFC 313 next March.

During a recent episode of his TimboSugarShow alongside coach Tim Welch, O’Malley joined plenty in calling out Dvalishvili’s push to once again face Yan, whom he convincingly defeated across five rounds in March 2023.

“Sugar” echoed the sentiments of Nurmagomedov himself, branding the newly crowned bantamweight kingpin “terrified” of him.

“Umar wants to fight Merab in January. Petr wants to fight Merab in March. I want to fight Merab in April,” O’Malley said. “Merab is absolutely sh*tting himself terrified of Umar. He doesn’t want to fight Umar. Now he’s saying he wants to fight Petr. He wanted to fight me. Petr got 50-45’d to Merab.”

It remains to be seen whether or not Nurmagomedov will indeed get his shot next. Be it a title opportunity or clash against another contender, the Dagestani has insisted on a return to action before he observes Ramadan in 2025.

O’Malley, meanwhile, has made his intentions of pursuing redemption against Dvalishvili upon his recovery from labrum surgery next year clear.

For now, though, the Georgian continues to campaign for a second dance opposite Yan.