Capturing the bantamweight championship after an utterly dominant run as a top contender for several years, Merab Dvalishvili has embarked on one of the most exciting title stints in UFC history. Gaining the strap late last year, the Georgian has made three spectacular outings across 2025 so far, resulting in a trio of superb title defenses over some of the best competition on the planet. Currently scheduled to throw down with old foe Petr Yan next weekend, he is aiming to fully cement his place as not just the greatest 135-lb athlete on the roster, but in the entire sport’s history.
Following his forceful eviction from the win column at the hands of Merab Dvalishvili, Yan has since rattled off three straight victories, defeating other bantamweight standouts like Song Yadong, Deiveson Figueiredo and Marcus McGhee. A previous belt-holder himself, “No Mercy” is seeking to reclaim his position at the head of the pack in the division.
Riding a 14-fight winning streak, Merab Dvalishvili is at the height of his powers as a pound-for-pound figure in the UFC. If he can manage to topple the Russian in their runback, then he will break the record for most consecutive bantamweight title defenses, a record set in place by his teammate Aljamain Sterling.
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These are all of Merab Dvalishvili’s UFC championships bouts ranked:
4. Merab Dvalishvili vs. Cory Sandhagen: UFC 320
In his most recent expedition to the Octagon, Merab Dvalishvili endeavored to log the third retention of his throne on the UFC 320 main card. His opponent for the occasion was none other than divisional dark horse, and the man that many labeled as a legitimate threat to his reign, Cory Sandhagen.
For the better part of half a decade, Sandhagen has always been known as a powerful name in the bantamweight class, which was only solidified by his high-profile triumphs over Marlon Moraes, Marlon Vera and Rob Font. Although unfortunate setbacks to the aforementioned Yan and Umar Nurmagomedov had kept his title aspirations on hold, an amazing second round stoppage over Figueiredo at UFC Iowa last May finally earned “Sandman” his long sought after championship shot.
Heading into his match with Sandhagen, Merab Dvalishvili had already established an aura of dominance that was created largely due to his seemingly unending gas tank, allowing him to continuously push his opposition into exhaustion.
That aura once again showed itself in the fight, as Dvalishvili walked down his challenger for the entirety of the night, attempting 399 total strikes, landing 243 of them. It was this volume of punches that nearly saw “The Machine” finish Sandhagen in the second round, rocking the American badly before he miraculously recovered. The champion also garnered the record for most takedowns in a UFC title contest by nailing 20 of his 37 tries to bring his foe to the canvas.
3. Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley II: UFC 316
At UFC 306 in 2024, Merab Dvalishvili headlined his first ever pay-per-view show. The occasion saw the European native facing off with promotional mega star and then bantamweight incumbent Sean O’Malley. Utilizing his elite grappling, the Syndicate MMA product captured the belt after a sterling display of mixed martial arts, setting the stage for a highly-anticipated rematch this past summer at UFC 316.
Ahead of his second tussle with his nemesis, O’Malley opted to buckle down on his training, notably keeping off social media to keep from being distracted as he prepared to snatch back his former crown. Though some fans and pundits were swift to decry the challenger’s immediate championship opportunity given the other more deserving contenders, others were more than glad to see the two men engage in a fun grudge match.
While “Suga” had all the tools on paper to make it a rough time for the champion, Merab Dvalishvili emphatically squashed any hopes of a comeback from the fan-favorite striker by drowning O’Malley with pressure. It was late into the third that the Georgian managed to drag the Iowa native down to the ground and lock in a tight north-south choke that stopped the tilt.
The win not only netted Dvalishvili his second belt retention, it also made him the second man to stop O’Malley as a professional, and the first to do so by submission.
2. Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley I: UFC 306
By his first title shot at UFC 306, Dvalishvili was undeniable as one of the top bantamweights in the promotion, which was evident by his then recent three victories over previous champions in José Aldo, Petr Yan and Henry Cejudo. Possessing an immaculate wrestling game, the Las Vegas resident was viewed as a stalwart opponent to the 135-lb king at the time, Sean O’Malley.
Winning his first 12 bouts as a professional, O’Malley dazzled audiences with his fan-friendly punching style that delivered him a plethora of astounding finishes, including eight knockouts. It came as a shock, however, when he bafflingly lost to Marlon Vera at UFC 252 after the Ecuadorian landed a perfect leg kick to the back of the American’s thigh that made O’Malley’s leg go numb. A subsequent barrage of elbows from the mount saw “Suga” suffer the first defeat of his career.
Bouncing back from his trip to the Apex in glorious fashion, O’Malley proceeded to put together a phenomenal six-fight win streak, culminating in a viral second round knockout over then three-time defending bantamweight king Aljamain Sterling. He then went on to notch one title defense in a redeeming runback with Vera, battering “Chito” en route to a blowout unanimous decision.
Making it his mission to avoid the sniper-like power punches of the champion, Dvalishvili made it a priority to take down O’Malley at any moment he could, landing six of them across the whole 25-minute contest. Remaining in control for almost the whole tilt, the challenger clocked in just over ten minutes of control time, with some of his wrestling entries appearing seamlessly. He also found a few opportunities for gamesmanship, such as kissing the back of O’Malley which no doubt did a little bit of mental damage. By the time it was over, Merab Dvalishvili had finally broken through to become the new bantamweight incumbent.
1. Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov: UFC 311
In his freshman appearance as the apex of the 135-lb division, Merab Dvalishvili was tasked with kicking off the first pay-per-view event of 2025, UFC 311, with a resounding bang. For his first belt retention, “The Machine” met the consensus dark horse of the weight category in the quickly-rising Umar Nurmagomedov.
A protege and cousin of famed lightweight legend Khabib Nurmagomedov, Umar Nurmagomedov held a similar background to the defending Merab Dvalishvili, as the 29-year old had spent practically his entire life on the wrestling mats, making him arguably the most dangerous grappler at bantamweight other than Dvalishvili himself. He also displayed an evolving striking skillset over the course of his UFC tenure, proven by his knockout finish over Raoni Barcelos, becoming the only man to take out the Brazilian in such a manner. Although the Serra-Longo representative laid claim to the title, some considered Nurmagomedov the true top dog of the category.
In comparison to his past and future adversaries in the organization, the then undefeated Dagestani gave Merab Dvalishvili the toughest test of his whole career to date, with the two phenoms landing a similar amount of significant blows at over 100 each. Their control times weren’t that much different either, as Dvalishvili only accrued just a single minute more. Where the difference between the champion and challenger really began to show itself was in the gas tank, because by the time of the fifth round, Nurmagomedov looked noticeably tired, while the incumbent appeared to be bizarrely fresh. Brought to the brink, Dvalishvili just barely got the nod from the judges to score his first championship defense.
