Merab Dvalishvili

Yan made the rematch look different from the opening exchange, coming forward behind his jab and right hand instead of conceding the centre. Dvalishvili still found his familiar entries, but Yan's first defensive reactions made the champion work for every extended sequence. As the fight reached the championship rounds, Yan's boxing and body attacks became the clearest damage in the contest. Dvalishvili kept pressing and stayed dangerous, yet Yan's timing repeatedly interrupted the takedowns and a late body kick visibly hurt the champion. The judges — Mike Bell, Derek Cleary and Eric Colon — awarded Yan the unanimous decision on scores of 49-46, 49-46 and 48-47. The result returned Yan to the top of the division as a two-time bantamweight champion.

Key moments

• Yan opened by pressing forward with the jab and right hand, changing the geography of the rematch.
• Yan's body attacks created the clearest damage while his defensive reactions denied Dvalishvili sustained control.
• Yan's cleaner five-round performance earned a unanimous decision and restored him as bantamweight champion.

Dvalishvili smothered Sandhagen's offense with the same formula that had already broken other contenders: takedowns, mat returns and pace. Over five rounds he turned a title defense into a grappling clinic and retained by unanimous decision.

Key moments

• Retained the UFC Bantamweight Championship.
• Repeated takedowns kept Sandhagen from building long striking stretches.
• Another successful title defense against a top contender.

The rematch was even more one-sided than the first meeting. Dvalishvili drowned O'Malley in wrestling and volume, then finished the fight late in round three with a choke after piling up another dominant title defense.

Key moments

• Second straight win over Sean O'Malley.
• Five takedowns and overwhelming top control defined the fight.
• Submission finish at 4:42 of round three.
• A successful defense of the UFC Bantamweight Championship.

Dvalishvili's first title defense demanded a full 25 minutes of work against another elite grappler. He kept the pace higher for longer, edged the key wrestling exchanges and left with a unanimous decision.

Key moments

• First defense of the UFC Bantamweight Championship.
• A five-round fight against another top wrestling-based contender.
• Won a unanimous decision after 25 hard minutes.

Dvalishvili won the bantamweight title by forcing O'Malley to fight off takedowns and defensive scrambles for five rounds at the Sphere. The champion never found a consistent answer to the pace, and all three judges scored the fight for Dvalishvili.

Key moments

• Won the UFC Bantamweight Championship.
• Five rounds of pace and takedown pressure against O'Malley.
• All three judges scored it for Dvalishvili.

Dvalishvili overwhelmed former two-division champion Henry Cejudo with the same pace that had become his trademark by 2024.

Key moments

• Won a unanimous decision on all three cards.
• Outlanded Cejudo 74-29 in significant strikes.
• Completed five takedowns while keeping Cejudo on the defensive.
• Closed a major contender matchup against a former UFC champion.

Dvalishvili set the terms immediately, forcing Yan to defend repeated entries and work back to the centre whenever the fight opened up. Yan's elbows and counterstrikes made the exchanges competitive, but the challenger kept returning to the legs and the fence. The same pattern held through the championship rounds: Yan found clean moments when he created space, while Dvalishvili answered with another scramble, another clinch or another takedown attempt. The sustained activity left Yan needing a finish in the final round. The judges — Mike Bell, Sal D'Amato and Junichiro Kamijo — each scored the fight 50-45 for Dvalishvili, who completed the five-round shutout by unanimous decision.

Key moments

• Dvalishvili immediately made Yan defend chain-wrestling sequences and fence pressure.
• Yan landed clean elbows and counters in open space, but Dvalishvili repeatedly reset the fight with another entry.
• Dvalishvili's sustained activity carried him to a unanimous decision with three 50-45 scorecards.

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Dvalishvili could not secure a takedown against José Aldo, but his pressure still controlled the fight. He repeatedly closed distance, forced long clinches along the fence and chipped away with knees to the thigh on the way to a unanimous decision.

Key moments

• Finished all three rounds without securing a takedown.
• Forced repeated clinch exchanges along the fence.
• Used knees to the thigh while keeping Aldo defending.
• Won 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27.

After Moraes nearly finished him early, Dvalishvili pushed back behind his cardio, broke the former title challenger with pressure and closed with a round-two TKO on the ground.

Key moments

• Weathered heavy trouble in round one before rallying.
• Stopped Moraes with punches at 4:25 of round two.
• Scored four takedowns while wearing Moraes down with pace.

Dvalishvili's pace and volume were too much for Cody Stamann over three rounds.

Key moments

• Won a unanimous decision in a three-round bantamweight bout.
• Outlanded Stamann 71-48 in significant strikes.
• Completed five takedowns to control the fight's tempo.
• Blended cleaner striking with his pressure wrestling for another UFC win.

Dvalishvili turned a respected veteran matchup into another pace fight.

Key moments

• Won a unanimous decision over former title challenger John Dodson.
• Used his pressure wrestling to keep Dodson reacting across three rounds.
• Stayed composed against Dodson's speed and counter threat.

Dvalishvili turned Gustavo Lopez's short-notice UFC debut into a relentless grappling fight. His takedowns, ground-and-pound and pressure carried every round, producing a unanimous decision.

Key moments

• Lopez stepped in on short notice to replace Ray Borg.
• Dvalishvili's grappling and ground-and-pound took the opening round.
• Maintained pressure through the second and third rounds.
• Won 30-26 twice and 30-25.

He repeatedly put Kenney on the mat, kept the pressure high for all three rounds and came away with a unanimous decision in a strong step up in class.

Key moments

• Won a unanimous decision over a six-fight winner in Casey Kenney.
• Landed 12 takedowns across the three-round fight.
• Controlled long stretches with top pressure and mat returns.

Dvalishvili used pressure and repeated takedowns to outwork TUF winner Brad Katona over three rounds. It was not a flashy fight, but it was a clear one, with Dvalishvili consistently dictating where the exchanges happened and banking another UFC decision.

Key moments

• Won a unanimous decision over The Ultimate Fighter winner Brad Katona.
• Completed six takedowns and controlled the wrestling exchanges.
• Neutralized Katona's usual scrambling game with constant pressure.

Dvalishvili earned his first UFC win by completely overwhelming Terrion Ware with pace, takedowns and volume.

Key moments

• Captured his first UFC victory by unanimous decision.
• Landed five takedowns while outstriking Ware 62-8.
• Two judges scored the fight 30-25, underlining the one-sided control.

After controlling large stretches with pressure wrestling, he was caught in a mounted guillotine in the closing seconds and the bout was ruled a technical submission at the horn after a controversial review sequence.

Key moments

• Dropped a technical submission at exactly 5:00 of round three.
• Landed six takedowns and outstruck Simon 61-34 before the finish.
• The finish became known for its chaotic buzzer-beating, post-review ending.

Dvalishvili pushed a hard wrestling pace against Frankie Saenz, but the veteran's clinch work and late elbows were enough to edge a split decision. It was a competitive UFC debut that showed Dvalishvili's engine immediately, even if the result went the wrong way.

Key moments

• Lost a split decision in his UFC debut.
• Completed 11 takedowns while forcing Saenz to defend constantly.
• The striking was close, with Saenz edging the totals 58-47.

Dvalishvili stepped up to featherweight and still kept control of the fight, outworking Matt Tullos over three rounds at CES 36. The win mattered because it showed his pressure game could travel across divisions while he was still building his name on the regional circuit.

Key moments

• Won a unanimous decision over Matt Tullos at CES 36.
• Took the fight at featherweight rather than bantamweight.
• Handled a main-card spot in Rhode Island with the same pace-first approach.

Dvalishvili rebounded on the CES circuit by taking a unanimous decision over Geoffrey Then in Connecticut.

Key moments

• Won a unanimous decision over Geoffrey Then at CES 34.
• Handled the bout on the preliminary card at Foxwoods.
• Picked up the win in a different regional promotion from his usual Ring of Combat base.

Dvalishvili ran into a difficult regional test in Ricky Bandejas and lost a clear three-round decision at Cage Fury FC 43.

Key moments

• Lost a unanimous decision to Ricky Bandejas at Cage Fury FC 43.
• The fight took place at the Borgata in Atlantic City.
• Bandejas later stood as one of the more established names among Dvalishvili's early opponents.

It was a notable upset on paper and an important bounce-back win after his January loss to Darren Mima.

Key moments

• Stopped Dennis Dombrow with punches at 0:50 of round three.
• Scored the finish on the main card in Atlantic City.
• The win moved Dvalishvili back on track after his previous regional defeat.

Dvalishvili's first recorded professional setback came in a tight majority decision against Darren Mima at Ring of Combat 47.

Key moments

• Lost a majority decision to Darren Mima at Ring of Combat 47.
• The fight took place in Atlantic City at the Tropicana Casino.
• The narrow scoreline foreshadowed the kind of competitive regional fights he would soon turn into wins.