Merab Dvalishvili’s UFC career got off to a rocky start at the end of 2017 — two consecutive losses introduced him to the promotion. 

He has not lost in 15 UFC contests since.

In a 2017 regional Ring of Combat event, Dvalishvili’s 15-second spinning backfist knockout over former Bellator bantamweight champion Raufeon Stots kickstarted his career and caught the eye of UFC’s Dana White. 

Dvalishvili rebounded quickly with wins against the likes of Brad Katona, John Dodson and Marlon Moraes. Then, he defeated UFC legend and Hall of Fame inductee Jose Aldo. 

After that, he conquered another bantamweight great, Petr Yan, defeating him 50-45 on every scorecard. That alone could have earned him a shot at the title, but instead he was matched up with former double champ Henry Cejudo. 

Dvalishvili won 29-28, and produced an iconic photo in the process — tongue out, Cejudo slung over his shoulder. 

Finally, after defeating three of the greatest fighters in his division, he earned a shot at Sean O’Malley’s belt in September 2024.

The title fight with O’Malley was close, but Dvalishvili came out on top — once again proving that he can stay on the gas for five rounds, even against a dangerous kickboxer like O’Malley. 

This month, he faced his biggest test yet — Umar Nurmagomedov. Bookmakers favored Nurmagomedov to win, closing as a –330 favorite. However, Dvalishvili once again made the fight look easy and the odds look foolish. 

Though the Georgian struggled through the first two rounds, he dominated the last three. He taunted his challenger throughout and showed no signs of slowing down, displaying his inhuman cardio once again. 

In his last five fights, Dvalishvili, nicknamed “The Machine,” has defeated four former champions and bettered his toughest test in the division, begging consideration in discussions of bantamweight greatness.

His win over Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 was enough to cement him as the best to some. Others still argue Dominick Cruz, Aljamain Sterling or even TJ Dillashaw have better cases, with Cruz being the primary argument despite his injury record.

Cruz got his start in World Extreme Cagefighting where he entered the promotion in a title contest against Urijah Faber, which he lost. He won his next four fights, earning him another title shot in his next fight. 

For comparison, Dvalishvili was only granted a title shot after 12 UFC fights and ten consecutive wins.

When WEC was incorporated into the UFC, Cruz entered as the champ, and after two years off to rehab an injury, he won the belt again by defeating TJ Dillashaw. He has two wins over Joseph Benavidez, avenged his loss to Faber, and beat a young Demetrious Johnson. The quality of wins drops off from there though. 

The common argument that the number of title defenses must be considered when ranking the best fighters ever holds little value. Sure, title defenses are important, but a title win against a bad opponent — like Cruz defeating Scott Jorgensen, who went just 4-8 in the rest of his career — should not outweigh a non-title win over a challenging opponent like Dvalishvili did over Yan, Aldo or Cejudo. 

Sterling had a case before Dvalishvili’s title reign began, but now nobody in the division has a resume that is remotely close to the champ’s.

It’s hard to tell who’s next in line for the bantamweight title shot, though many seem to be vying, with O’Malley and Yan seeking revenge, and flyweight champ Alexandre Pantoja eyeing a second belt. 

With a few more quality wins, it’ll be time for the overdue conversation about Merab Dvalishvili’s place among the all-time greats of the sport.