Who is Merab Dvalishvili? The Machine's record before the UFC 333 Yan trilogy
Georgia's former bantamweight champion, 2025 Fighter of the Year, wants his belt back in Abu Dhabi.
Merab Dvalishvili challenges Petr Yan for the UFC bantamweight title in the co-main event of UFC 333 at Etihad Arena on Saturday 24 October. The Georgian held the belt from September 2024 until Yan took it from him at UFC 323 last December.
Born in Vani, Georgia, in January 1991, Dvalishvili grew up in Georgian wrestling, sambo and judo, and holds a black belt in judo. He moved to the United States at 21 to pursue MMA and has trained with Ray Longo and Matt Serra's Serra-Longo Fight Team since 2013. He fights as "The Machine".
His UFC career started with two losses, to Frankie Saenz in 2017 and Ricky Simon in 2018. Then came 14 straight wins, including Jose Aldo, Yan in their first meeting in 2023 and Henry Cejudo, before he took the title from Sean O'Malley by unanimous decision at UFC 306.
2025 was his busiest year. He beat Umar Nurmagomedov in January, submitted O'Malley with a north-south choke in their June rematch and outpointed Cory Sandhagen in October, tying the division record of three straight title defences. He was named UFC Fighter of the Year and won the ESPY for Fighter of the Year before Yan beat him on points in December.
The nickname suits the numbers. He holds the UFC record for career takedowns landed and the most decision wins in UFC history, 12, and he landed 20 takedowns against Sandhagen, a record for a UFC title fight. His record stands at 21 wins and 5 losses.
UFC 333: Volkanovski vs EvloevSat 24 Oct · Etihad Arena, Abu Dhabi See ticketsSource: Wikipedia: Merab Dvalishvili, Georgia Today, Bloody Elbow
