Merab Dvalishvili

Overview

Six wins over elite UFC opponents, and a bantamweight run built almost entirely on the scorecards. Merab Dvalishvili, "The Machine," is a bantamweight from Tbilisi, Georgia, fighting out of Syndicate MMA, and he is 14-4 in the UFC. His longest win streak is 14 fights, and it came right after an 0-2 start.

He has not won since that streak ended. He carries a two-fight losing streak into his next fight, and both losses were five-round title fights against Petr Yan, both by unanimous decision. Neither was a finish.

UFC Career

The debut didn't go his way. He lost a split decision to Frankie Saenz in December 2017, then dropped a third-round submission to Ricky Simon in April 2018. Two fights, two losses.

Then the streak started. Terrion Ware, Brad Katona, Casey Kenney, Gustavo Lopez, John Dodson and Cody Stamann all went to the scorecards, every one a unanimous decision. Dodson rates as a strong opponent in our model. The first finish came in September 2021, when he stopped Marlon Moraes in the second round at 4:25.

The step up in competition is where the record gets serious. He beat Jose Aldo by unanimous decision in August 2022, then Petr Yan in a five-round main event in March 2023. Both rate as elite opponents. Henry Cejudo followed in February 2024 by unanimous decision.

Then came Sean O'Malley, twice. The first was a five-round unanimous decision in September 2024. The second ended by submission in the third round at 4:42, one of only two finishes among his 14 UFC wins. In between, he took a five-round decision from Umar Nurmagomedov, another elite opponent.

In October 2025 he beat Cory Sandhagen over five rounds in a title fight. That was the 14th win in the streak. Two months later he met Yan again for a title and lost a unanimous decision, and he lost another unanimous decision to Yan in a title fight at UFC 333 in October 2026.

Six wins over elite opponents. Two losses to the same one.

Fighting Style

Dvalishvili is a pressure grappler who wears opponents down with takedowns. He lands more strikes per minute than most UFC fighters and absorbs fewer, though his accuracy is below the norm and his defense is about average. Takedowns are what set him apart: he gets opponents to the mat at a rate few can match, and he is very hard to take down himself.

He rarely hunts for submissions. The takedowns are there to control fights rather than end them, and his record reflects that. Twelve of his 14 UFC wins came by decision, with one TKO and one submission.

He also doesn't finish early. Neither of his two finishes came in the first round; one was a second-round stoppage and the other a third-round submission.

Notable Wins

• Sean O'Malley — submission, round 3, UFC 316 (2025)
• Sean O'Malley — unanimous decision, five rounds, UFC 306 (2024)
• Petr Yan — unanimous decision, five rounds, UFC Fight Night: Yan vs. Dvalishvili (2023)
• Jose Aldo — unanimous decision, UFC 278 (2022)

Quick Facts

• Division: Bantamweight
• UFC record: 14-4
• Professional record (all promotions): 21-6-0
• UFC debut: December 2017
• Height: 5'6"; reach: 68"
• Team: Syndicate MMA
• Born: Tbilisi, Georgia