Merab Dvalishvili’s rise shows no signs of slowing down.
Dvalishvili successfully retained his bantamweight crown with a statement-making win over Sean O’Malley in their rematch, headlining UFC 316 this past Saturday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
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“The Machine” eventually cracked the code on O’Malley’s sharpened wrestling awareness, blending relentless pressure with pinpoint striking to overwhelm the former champion. While O’Malley entered with a more calculated approach, Dvalishvili’s relentless pace and suffocating grappling steadily wore him down.
After drowning O’Malley in a wave of takedown pressure, Dvalishvili sealed the deal with a punishing north-south choke, earning his second win over “Suga".
Dvalishvili’s championship reign began at UFC 306 in September 2024, where he clinched a lopsided unanimous decision win over O’Malley.
After earning the first submission victory of his UFC career by finishing Sean O’Malley at UFC 316, Merab Dvalishvili reflected on the rematch during his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.
“The Machine” acknowledged O’Malley’s noticeable adjustments since their previous clash but emphasized that his own evolution hasn’t slowed—continually sharpening his arsenal and unveiling new weapons with each performance.
He was well trained, he was well prepared, and I knew that he was going to make changes because, Hey, every time I lost I made big changes and I learned from it," Merab Dvalishvili said. "But I’m getting better and better. I wasn’t showing this technique [before] and I have more tools in my pocket I’m still working on, and then little by little I will show. Now it’s my time.
With this victory, Dvalishvili stretched his impressive winning streak to 13 consecutive fights. He kicked off his title defenses in dominant fashion against the previously unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 in January, where the Georgian secured a commanding unanimous decision to maintain his championship reign.
“The Machine” boasts a 13-2 UFC record, featuring commanding victories over elite former champions such as Jose Aldo, Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan, and a host of other top-tier contenders.
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