His last two fights were a title shot and a title defense against two of the best in the division but Merab Dvalishvili made it look like he was fighting amateurs. The bantamweight champion walked through Sean O’Malley first and then ensured Umar Nurmagomedov was too tired to walk and he did it all in a span of 5 months. This begs the question, who beats him now? According to his friend Nazim Sadykhov, nobody can.
In an interview with Inside Fighting, Sadhykov made a bold prediction: Merab will retire as champion, never losing his title to another fighter.
“I think he’s going to retire undefeated, I think he’s going to retire without ever losing his belt to anybody. Because he’s beat everybody now, now it’s just onto rematches… Nobody can beat him.”
That’s a massive statement, but if anyone could pull off such dominance, it’s Merab. They don’t call him ‘The Machine’ for nothing. His insane cardio, relentless pressure, and suffocating wrestling style make him one of the most difficult puzzles to solve inside the Octagon. And yes, he has fought pretty much every top contender in the division and he did it even before he was the champion.
Merab had to be on a 10-fight win streak to even be spoken about in the title picture so, by the time he got to the promised land, there was a trail of defeated opponents behind him.
Sadhykov, who has been by Merab’s side for years, has also seen firsthand the dedication that fuels the Georgian fighter’s success. He reminisced about how Merab used to work 10-hour shifts on a construction site before heading straight to the gym to train. That level of grit and determination has now propelled him to the top of the UFC’s bantamweight division, and according to Sadhykov, it’s what will keep him there.
Of course, staying on top is never easy. The UFC’s bantamweight division is growing as we speak and there are killers like Cory Sandhagen waiting in the ranks. But if his gas tank remains bottomless and his pressure stays as relentless as ever, he might just prove Sadhykov right.
Merab hasn’t always been welcome in the Hall of Champions. Despite his wins, he has always been touted as someone who went for too many takedowns without finishing his fights. But with the very real prospect of him outliving every title run in history looking very real courtesy of his undying cardio, even fellow champions are trying to figure out what fuels the machine.
Du Plessis motivated by Merab
Middleweight champion Dricus Du Plessis is as unorthodox as they come. His head is built like a brick and he can take punishment like no other champion in the promotion. He’s also unique in his style and stands out amongst his peers. So it doesn’t come as a surprise that he sees Merab as another anomaly, an exception to the rule.
Ahead of his UFC 312 fight against Sean Strickland, Du Plessis spoke about Merab in an interview with Aaron Bronsteter and said,
“Firstly that guy’s (Merab’s) cardio needs to be studied. I don’t know how he does it, it’s incredible to see, motivating in fact,”
Dricus Du Plessis is shocked with Merab Dvalishvili’s cardio:
“[Merab’s] cardio needs to be studied…it’s really admirable to see somebody being able to push that hard for that long.”
@aaronbronsteter ▫️ pic.twitter.com/Lm1TAUPSGY
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) February 5, 2025
He even admitted that, despite priding himself on having one of the best gas tanks in the game, watching Merab fight made him question his own endurance. Well, how wouldn’t it? Even Joe Rogan, who has been watching the UFC since basically its inception, was in awe.
During Merab’s title defense, Rogan spoke about how at the start of round 5, Umar was running on fumes, and the champ, on the other hand, looked like he just woke up from a nap. Merab has a formula and it clearly works. So, this brings us to our original question, who is going to beat him at it?
