Merab Dvalishvili goals to make UFC historical past.
After defeating Sean O’Malley to win the undisputed world bantamweight title final 12 months, Dvalishvili upped the ante in 2025 and efficiently defended the title in opposition to Umar Nurmagomedov, O’Malley in a rematch, and most lately Cory Sandhagen.
“The Machine” will subsequent face Petr Yan in the principle occasion of UFC 323 on Saturday, December sixth, placing his fourth gold medal on the road in 11 months.
With a profitable streak relationship again to 2018, a sequence of dominant performances in opposition to high expertise, and a want to defend his belt greater than any champion in trendy instances, it is laborious to argue with Dvalishvili being named the 2025 MMA Fighter of the 12 months.
A minimum of, that is what play-by-play commentator John Anik thinks.
“Merab is simply the satan,” Anik informed MMA Preventing. “He is attempting to change into the primary UFC champion in historical past to defend his belt 4 instances in a single 12 months. That is insane. He is probably the most drug-tested athlete within the sport this 12 months, and he is as mentally sturdy as any of them. Truthfully, this is without doubt one of the finest years we have ever seen from any fighter. And if he does it, it is laborious to argue that it isn’t one of the best 12 months in UFC historical past.”
Merab Dvalishvili was in a position to do what no different UFC fighter has ever been in a position to accomplish
By the point Dvalishvili steps contained in the Octagon in opposition to Yan, it’s going to have been simply eight weeks since his five-round victory over Sandhagen at UFC 320. If he could make it to the highest, ‘The Machine’ will add one other document to his resume, changing into the primary fighter in promotion historical past to efficiently defend the belt 4 instances in a single calendar 12 months.
Dvalishvili already holds plenty of information contained in the Octagon, together with the longest profitable streak in bantamweight historical past (14) and probably the most takedowns in UFC historical past (117).
