Whether it’s jumping head first into snow or training a day after winning the bantamweight title, 135 lbs kingpin Merab Dvalishvili likes keeping busy.
Dvalishvili, the current undisputed bantamweight champion, is booked to return at UFC 316 at the beginning of June. Even though he only won his title at UFC 306 last year in September and has had one defence since, it has been a rather dominant run of matches for the champion.
Merab had already run through the major players in the bantamweight division before he made it to the then-incumbent ‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley. ‘Suga’, at the time, only had one title defense and was actively trying to secure another title shot at 145 lbs, while avoiding the Merab fight.
O’Malley’s worst fears were realised when Merab practically toyed with him in the octagon as he struggled to get a punch in. But even after the win, the Georgian didn’t feel the job was done.
According to color commentator Rogan, Hall of Fame star Daniel Cormier was left shocked after he visited the new champion’s house. Upon landing at the pad, Cormier revealed the Georgian was nowhere to be found.
“Daniel Cormier went to visit him [Merab Dvalishvili], right after he won the title,” Rogan said on his podcast.
“DC went to his house on Sunday, Merab wasn’t home. He was out running. He won the title on Saturday, Daniel went to his house on Sunday — Merab’s out running,” Rogan added, still in disbelief.
Merab would almost immediately be challenged by the surging Umar Nurmagomedov, even as he was asking for a longer recovery fight. But after months of callouts and ‘disrespect’, he would agree to a fight in January, just 4 months after his title win.
Co-headlining UFC 311, Dvalishvili turned in an impressive unanimous judging win over Umar Nurmagomedov (18-1-0), handing the Russian his first-ever loss in professional mixed martial arts.
Now, on a 12-fight win streak, he plans to take on Sean O’Malley in a summer rematch as the promotion returns to New Jersey at the beginning of June, much to the annoyance of fans everywhere.
They believe O’Malley hasn’t done anything to warrant a title shot coming straight off a major surgery. His lackluster performance at UFC 306, which saw him lose the title, hasn’t particularly inspired confidence.
And with Dvalishvili’s penchant for consistent, rigorous training, which presumably allows him the powers of inhumane cardio, O’Malley has already been counted out of the equation despite apparent ‘Dana White privilege’.
But, more importantly, how does the Georgian champion whisk through five rounds against world champion contenders without even breaking a sweat? Well, the proof’s in the pudding.
Dvalishvili reveals his push to attain stunning cardio
Dedication; that’s the name of the game for the bantamweight kingpin. Dvalishvili admitted his ability to push through tough situations came from his time as a judo practitioner.
“In Judo, it’s only a 5-minute match, there are breaks in between the match,” Dvalishvili told the Simple Man podcast.
“Every time you try something and until you start again, there are breaks, it’s not like a 5-minute go. There are breaks, when you try a takedown and before you get up and come back to the position again. But my stomach was hurting from being tired, you know”, he added.
“Over the years, I just keep pushing, training,” He added. “Even when I’m travelling, even if I’m not able to (do) sparring or wrestling, or Jiu-Jitsu, at least I run.”
This would explain why he has been consistently able to take his fights to the championship rounds and bask in the exhaustion of opponents.
Back in 2023, Dvalishvili earned a whopping 11 separate takedowns en route to a dominant decision win over former champion Petr Yan.
And during his win over O’Malley last year, he notched an impressive six more. But most eye-catching, the Tbilisi native managed to outgrapple Nurmagomedov in January, scoring a staggering seven separate successful takedown attempts.
To boot, Dvalishvili cracked an ancient record held by welterweight maverick Georges St-Pierre, during that run. Over the course of his career in the promotion, Dvalishvili has turned in an astonishing 92 separate successful shots for takedowns.
