Merab Dvalishvili successfully defended the UFC Bantamweight Championship for the first time against the #1 135lbs contender Umar Nurmagomedov in the co-main event at UFC 311 handing the Dagestani challenger the first loss of his professional MMA Career. Starting the fight as an underdog, Merab ‘The Machine’ Dvalishvili won a Unanimous Decision victory over Umar Nurmagomedov at the end of 5 highly competitive rounds.
But when the 5 rounds came to an end, there was only one name on everyone’s mind. And that was Merab Dvalishvili. Dvalishvili’s performance in the ring made each person in the Arena appreciate just how physically imposing the Georgian was on his opponents.
The fight started on a very equal footing with Umar Nurmagomedov surprisingly being the first one to land a takedown in the fight. But that was the only takedown the fighter from Khabib’s lineage ever completed in the fight. With Merab trailing but only slightly after round 2, the Georgian began displaying his unreal stamina in the 3rd and championship rounds. He kept the pace of the fight so high that by the end of the 4th round, Umar Nurmagomedov was huffing and puffing.
This might be the first time we have really ever seen a Dagestani fighter struggling for stamina inside the octagon. Not only the pace, but for the most part it was Merab Dvalishvili who was controlling the fight, going for takedown after takedown and even making some of his attempts successful. The Bantamweight Champion also equalled and then surpassed Georges St. Pierre’s UFC record for the most successful takedowns in the promotion’s history.
If this was not enough humiliation for the night, Merab kept on taunting Umar Nurmagomedov when the latter kept trying to secure a takedown. How often have you seen a Dagestani struggle to get his opponent on the ground? Yes, that’s how impressive Merab Dvalishvili was on Sunday, truly a Freak of Nature.
