Journey To UFC Champion: Merab Dvalishvili

Before His UFC Debut

Merab Dvalishvili made his MMA debut back in January 2014 at Ring Of Combat (ROC) 47, but it would not be a great start to the sport as he would lose by majority decision. Eight months later, The Machine would earn his first win at ROC 49, winning by third-round TKO.

The Tbilisi-born fighter would suffer an unanimous decision loss at Cage Fury Fighting Championships (CFFC) to Ricky Bandejas, before an astounding rise to fame in the MMA community.

The Georgian mixed martial artist earned four consecutive decision wins, two in CES MMA and two in ROC, which would earn him his first title opportunity in MMA, Dvalishvili faced Suhrob Aydarbekov for the vacant ROC Bantamweight Championship and found success, defeating the Tajikistan fighter by second-round submission with an Armbar, his first submission victory in MMA.

The Machine defended his Bantamweight title at ROC 59 against Raufeon Stots, winning the fight in just 15 seconds with a Spinning Backfist knockout. With former UFC Welterweight Champion, Matt Serra, being Dvalishvili's coach, both him and Dana White were recording for TV show, Dana White: Lookin' For A Fight, which would see the Georgian's impressive performance. The UFC president awarded Dvalishvili a contract in the UFC and thus the rise of his MMA career would really begin.

The Beginning Of A New Chapter

Some of the greatest in the UFC have never had the greatest start in the organisation, this includes Dvalishvili when he suffered a split decision loss to Frankie Saenz at UFC Fresno and a third-round submission loss to Ricky Simon at UFC Atlantic City.

The Georgian fighter's glorious rise to fame would begin in September 2018 when he earned his first UFC win in Moscow, defeating Terrion Ware by unanimous decision. The Machine would carry his success with another five consecutive unanimous decision wins, taking him to #11 in the Bantamweight rankings.

Dvalishvili earned his first stoppage win in the UFC when he faced the #6 contender and former title challenger, Marlon Moraes, at UFC 266. The Tbilisi-born fighter almost lost the fight, suffering a knockdown in the first round, but would comeback in the later on in the fight and win by second-round TKO.

The Bantamweight contender would pick up three more wins by unanimous decision against some big names in the organisation. The first would see Dvalishvili defeat Jose Aldo at UFC 278, possibly making it Aldo's last fight in MMA. The second would happen at The Theater in Las Vegas where The Machine would show dominance against former UFC Bantamweight Champion, Petr Yan. Dvalishvili would earn a title shot after his triumph against former simultaneous two-division champion, Henry Cejudo, at UFC 298.

The Dream Is Alive

After being on a 10-fight winning streak, gradually becoming a favourite fans online as well as in the Octagon, the #1 Bantamweight contender would get his opportunity for UFC Gold.

Sean O'Malley was the current King of the Bantamweights after defeating the Georgian's teammate, Aljamain Sterling, by second-round TKO to win the title, before avenging his only loss of his MMA career against Marlon Vera by unanimous decision, successfully defending his belt.

The 135-pound title bout would be set at The Sphere in Las Vegas for UFC 306, making it the first sporting event to be held at The Sphere. This would not only make this a more historical night for the UFC, but would make Dvalishvili's fight more monumental if he were to be victorious.

Both O'Malley and Dvalishvili would go the full five rounds, with most of the fight being controlled by The Machine due to his masterclass of wrestling and occasional striking. The Georgian mixed martial artist would earn his 10th unanimous decision win which would make him become the new UFC Bantamweight Champion.

The King of the Bantamweight's next steps are not confirmed but the likelihood is that he will face the #2 contender, Umar Nurmagomedov, making it an interesting wrestling battle at a future UFC PPV event. 

How long will Merab Dvalishvili stay as UFC Bantamweight Champion? When do you believe The Machine will make his first title defence?

Written by Charlie Oxtoby

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MMA Instagram: undisputed._.mma

Twitter: Charlie_Oxtoby1