Is Merab Dvalishvili one win away from changing into the bantamweight division’s undisputed GOAT?
After delivering a dominant efficiency in opposition to ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley in September, ‘The Machine’ will put his 135-pound title on the road for the primary time within the UFC 311 co-main occasion. Standing throughout from Dvalishvili would be the division’s No. 2 ranked contender, Umar Nurmagomedov.
The undefeated Dagestani scored his first title alternative through a lights-out efficiency in opposition to Cory Sandhagen over the summer time.
It’s an extremely robust check for Dvalishvili’s first protection, but when he comes out on high, he’ll be the best bantamweight combined martial artist of all time. A minimum of, that’s what his coach, John Wooden, believes.
“(If) Merab goes out and beats Umar, which I consider he’ll, I believe there’s no query that he’s the bantamweight GOAT,” Wooden instructed Inside Preventing. “And had all these guys that he beat been title defenses, it’s not even a query now. So I believe we’re trying on the subsequent bantamweight GOAT right here shortly” (h/t MMA Junkie).
Although that is his first time defending the bantamweight belt, Dvalishvili has spent a lot of his profession bagging wins over noteworthy names in considered one of MMA’s most stacked divisions. Over the previous couple of years, he’s overwhelmed Petr Yan, Henry Cejudo, Jose Aldo, and the aforementioned O’Malley.
Merab Dvalishvili locked in regardless of current string of emotional outburts
Ever since his struggle with Nurmagomedov was introduced, Dvalishvili has been uncharacteristically riled up, his greatest gripe being that the Dagestani merely hasn’t completed sufficient to earn the place he’s in.
Whatever the Georgian’s current antics, Wooden insists that the champ is locked in and motivated, simply as he was in his final three outings.
“He was motivated and emotional by Petr Yan,” Wooden mentioned. “He was motivated and emotional with Henry Cejudo at one level. He was motivated and emotional with O’Malley, so it’s no totally different. That’s a part of the method that we get into. He doesn’t should hate someone or be no matter to be motivated, nevertheless it’s a part of the method.
“He will get into the struggle. He’s there to struggle, he’s there to go on the market and do battle with the individual throughout the cage. This one, there’s been just a little extra emotion to it so far as he feels just a little disrespected that he’s the champion, and that there’s numerous debate on whether or not Umar deserves the title shot.”
