Merab Dvalishvili

ANALYSIS
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Dvalishvili's 20 successful takedowns (on 37 attempts) were a new UFC record for a five-round fight. It took Merab a round to find his range, but once he did, Sandhagen was toast. Dvalishvili unloaded on the feet throughout Round 2 and nearly earned the stoppage. Two of the three judges gave him a 10-8 score for the frame. From there, Merab constantly pressured Sandhagen, limiting space and making sure his opponent could generate no notable offense. Dvalishvili will be 35 years of age in January, but has shown zero signs of slowing down. Merab has already successfully defended his title three times in 2025. He's essentially cleaned out what was arguably the deepest division in the company not all that long ago. He's in the running, if not the favorite, for the greatest bantamweight fighter of all time.

ANALYSIS
As expected, Dvalishvili will have to defend his title for the third time since he won it over Sean O'Malley in September of 2024. The 5-foot-6 Georgian is coming off his second win against O'Malley back in June, which followed a unanimous decision victory over Umar Nurmagomedov at the start of the new year. Dvalishvili will now take on Sandhagen who isn't new to the championship octagon but lost in his sole appearance to Petr Yan back in 2021. Sandhagen is also a veteran in the league, but Dvalishvili is still set to be the favorite even with a looming older age.

ANALYSIS
It was a classic Merab performance on countless levels. O'Malley looked better than he did in their first fight last September, and Dvalishvili was still able to turn it into a rout in short order, one that would earn him a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus after it was all said and done. Simply put, there's no fighter in the world today, in any division, that can come close to matching the pace of Merab. O'Malley kept things fairly close for two rounds before it all fell apart. Dvalishvili landed 3-of-5 takedowns in Round 3 alone, good for 4:18 worth of control time in the frame. On top of that, Merab's striking appeared much improved. He landed his fair share of damaging shots on the feet and handled everything the challenger threw his way. History tells us that Dvalishvili, at age 34, should be hitting a wall sooner rather than later, but this isn't a normal situation. Merab's next title defense is likely to come against Cory Sandhagen, either late in 2025 or early-2026.

ANALYSIS
Dvalishvili is looking to secure his second title defense after he delivered a dominant performance in his previous bout, where he defeated Umar Nurmagomedov via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) at UFC 311 on Jan. 18. Dvalishvili is one of the best fighters in the world right now regardless of the division, and securing another win against O'Malley, someone he already defeated back on Sep. 2024, would do nothing but enhance that status. Dvalishvili has won his last 12 fights.

ANALYSIS
There is simply no fighter in the world today, in any weight class, with the ability to match the pace and cardio of Merab. It took him the better part of two rounds to figure things out against Nurmagomedov, but once he floored the gas pedal, Umar was done. Merab finished with seven takedowns on 30 attempts. He had just 2:22 worth of control time, but the constant pressure and the ability to close distance in an instant is worth nearly as much as having your opponent pinned to the mat. Umar was totally exhausted midway through Round 3, and Dvalishvili looked like he just rolled out of bed. In the win, Merab passed Georges St. Pierre for the most takedowns in UFC history. It's not a stretch to say Umar was by far Dvalishvili's toughest test to date and he passed it with flying colors. Merab has the look of a long-term champion, even in arguably the sport's deepest division. He'll also walk away with a $50,000 bonus after this bout was awarded Fight of the Night honors.