Merab Dvalishvili became a UFC star overnight.
The Georgian bantamweight won the UFC title against Sean O’Malley in a close five-round battle in the main event of UFC 306 on Sept. 14, 2024. Dvalishvili won via unanimous decision, getting the nod with 49-46, 48-47, 48-47 scores from the judges.
It was the first event held in the Sphere in Las Vegas. In the fight, Dvalishvili secured 6 of 15 takedowns in the fight for a 40 percent clip. The champion landed 214 strikes compared to O’Malley’s 49 strikes in the fight, according to the UFC stats.
Since that night, Dvalishvili defended his title with a Fight of the Night performance against Umar Nurmagomedov in the main event of UFC 311 this past January. Dvalishvili won the fight via unanimous decision – 48-47, 48-47, 49-46.
Dvalishvili will clash again with O’Malley in a rematch at UFC 316 on Saturday night. It will be Dvalishvili’s second UFC title defense. This will be O’Malley’s first fight since losing his title.
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