Merab Dvalishvili
Active 2018–present · rated in 3 editions · peak overall 92.0
Scouting report
A 99 Cardio and 96 Wrestling rating anchor Merab "The Machine" Dvalishvili, who captured the UFC Bantamweight Championship with a unanimous-decision win over Sean O'Malley at UFC 306. Born in Tbilisi, Georgia, Dvalishvili set a UFC record with 49 takedown attempts in a single bout against Petr Yan, and won 11 straight fights before beating O'Malley for the belt, including victories over former champions Jose Aldo, Petr Yan, and Henry Cejudo.
Peak ratings
By edition
Dvalishvili scored decision wins over Casey Kenney, John Dodson, and Cody Stamann before stopping Marlon Moraes via TKO at UFC 266 in round two. His takedown volume and non-stop pace are reflected in a 95 Wrestling and 99 Cardio score across these bouts.
Dvalishvili defeated Jose Aldo by unanimous decision at UFC 278, outworked Petr Yan across five rounds at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas, and defeated Henry Cejudo at UFC 298 in Anaheim. His pace, wrestling volume, top control, and gas tank are demonstrated by a 96 Wrestling and 99 Cardio.
Overall is an editorial rating. It can differ from a simple average of the attributes.
Merab Dvalishvili, the pace nobody wants to fight
Merab Dvalishvili made his name by taking people down again and again and never seeming to tire. He beat Petr Yan, Jose Aldo and Henry Cejudo, then took the bantamweight title from Sean O'Malley. The approach is simple and difficult to stop: pressure, shoot, get up, shoot again. He is the model of a fighter whose cardio makes everything else work.
Dvalishvili attribute by attribute
Boxing. Functional. His hands are used to get in on the legs, and he is durable enough to eat shots on the way.
Kickboxing. The lowest area. He does not throw many kicks and prefers to close range immediately.
Wrestling. Elite. He chains takedown attempts and holds people down, and he shoots from unexpected distances.
BJJ. Strong. He is comfortable on the mat and can move to back control or find a finish.
Strength. Solid. He is physically strong for the division and it shows in his clinch work.
Durability. He takes a lot of contact while closing distance and keeps coming forward.
Cardio. The defining trait. His volume of attempts through five rounds is what breaks opponents.
Fight IQ. Smart in his own way. He gets his opponent tired, then increases the pressure.
Why Cardio is the pick
Cardio is what turns an ordinary wrestling edge into a decision-winning machine. A high stamina rating means he is at full speed in round five when opponents are slowing. If you want a fighter who wins late, this is the trait to take.
The gap to plan around: Kickboxing
He is not a long-range kicker. A tall striker who keeps him at the end of a lead leg can make his entries costly. Put a good counter-striker or a taller athlete next to him to balance the roster.
Keep exploring
Closest bantamweight profiles to Merab Dvalishvili, measured by how near their peak attribute ratings sit across all eight categories.
- Henry Cejudobest wrestling 97 · weakest strength 76
- Urijah Faberbest wrestling 90 · weakest strength 76
- Ricky Simonbest cardio 90 · weakest kickboxing 76
- Aljamain Sterlingbest bjj 95 · weakest strength 76
- Bantamweight division guide: how the whole division rates and who to draft from it.
- Protecting your streak: a guide that fits Merab Dvalishvili's strongest attribute, Cardio.
Draft Merab Dvalishvili into your build
Merab Dvalishvili enters the pool on any spin landing on bantamweight between 2020 and present. Spin, draft eight attributes, then simulate 25 fights.
Ratings shown are my own estimates, made with AI assistance and informed by how Merab Dvalishvili is regarded by the MMA community. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Merab Dvalishvili's real-world abilities. How the ratings are made. See the disclaimer below. Ratings and write-ups by Haaris A. Last reviewed 2026-09-30; spot an error? Tell us. Read our editorial standards.