Athletes
Merab Dvalishvili: ‘I Have Everything Ahead Of Me’
UFC Bantamweight Merab Dvalishvili Believes A Win Over Former Two-Division Champion Henry Cejudo at UFC 298: Volkanovski vs Topuria Guarantees Him The Next Shot At The Title
Merab Dvalishvili’s record-breaking performance against Petr Yan 11 months ago cemented the Georgian as a top contender in the bantamweight division.
Yet despite attempting 49 takedowns en route to a dominant, unanimous decision victory over the former 135-pound champion, there was still one thing in the way of Dvalishvili fighting for the bantamweight title: his best friend Aljamain Sterling was the one holding the belt.
Order UFC 298: Volkanovski vs Topuria Today!
That all changed in August, when Sean O’Malley defeated the three-time defending bantamweight champion at UFC 292. Rather than trying to earn a chance at a rematch against the new 135-pound king, Sterling decided to make the move to featherweight, opening the door for Dvalishvili to fight for the title.
But immediately after O’Malley defeated Sterling, he called out an old foe, Marlon Vera, the only person to defeat him in his professional career. Dvalishvili had a decision to make: wait and hope he’s given the winner of that fight, or all but guarantee a title shot by defeating a UFC legend. He chose the latter.
UFC 298 Embedded | All Episodes
At UFC 298: Volkanovski vs Topuria, Dvalishvili challenges Henry Cejudo, an Olympic gold medalist and one of the four simultaneous two-division champions in UFC history. Cejudo has fought four former champions in his UFC career: TJ Dillashaw, who he defeated twice, Demetrious Johnson, Dominick Cruz, and, most recently, Sterling. Dvalishvili believes his unpredictability and relentless cardio makes him a unique and risky challenge for “Triple C.”
Merab Dvalishvili Hopes His Hard Work Inspires Others | UFC 298
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there’s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world’s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Merab Dvalishvili Hopes His Hard Work Inspires Others | UFC 298
/
“My cardio, for sure, my pressure and I have a little bit different style because it’s hard to read,” Dvalishvili said, describing what makes him different than Cejudo’s past opponents. “I can fight everywhere; I can wrestle, I can strike, I got good jiu-jitsu, and I believe I’m dangerous everywhere, and that’s why everyone has a hard time when they fight me. I think Henry Cejudo will realize that, too.
How To Watch UFC 298: Volkanovski vs Topuria
“I think this fight is a number one contender fight. I think the winner of us will fight for the title. If I beat Henry Cejudo, I believe I will be the number one contender to fight for the title, especially because I will have a 10-fight win streak and it will be my third former UFC champion that I’ve beaten. Nobody’s done that before this to fight for the title; I will be the first one. The people I see everywhere, they mention that I should fight for the title, and that’s my main goal now.”
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
With that being said, Dvalishvili doesn’t underestimate the former champion, and is quick to give Cejudo props for his long list of accolades. So that’s why in preparation for this fight, “The Machine” moved to Las Vegas to fully immerse himself in his training camp. At Syndicate MMA, Dvalishvili is surrounded by elite martial artists and UFC athletes, including Sterling. The 33-year-old is also a short drive away from the UFC Performance Institute, where he can stay on top of his recovery and nutrition.
WATCH: UFC 298 Countdown
“Living in Vegas definitely changed, in a good way, my training style and my lifestyle, in general,” Dvalishvili said. “It’s so much easier to, after my training, go get lunch at the UFC PI and see my friends and hang out there a little bit.
“My training camp is simple; I train every day. I don’t change much, I just train hard every day and I try to get better everywhere. This time, my opponent is Henry Cejudo, and all I have to do is go and show myself and do my best. I believe I can win against him. All I want to do is, the work I put in, I want to represent it and show up there. If I show up, I believe I have the skill to beat the former UFC champion and Olympic champion Henry Cejudo.”
Merab Dvalishvili Talks Georgian MMA | UFC 298
Unlock MORE of your inner combat sports fan with UFC Fight Pass! Fighting is what we live for. And no one brings you MORE live fights, new shows, and events across multiple combat sports from around the world. With a never-ending supply of fighting in every discipline, there’s always something new to watch. Leave it to the world’s authority in MMA to bring you the Ultimate 24/7 platform for MORE combat sports, UFC Fight Pass!
Merab Dvalishvili Talks Georgian MMA | UFC 298
/
If Dvalishvili gets the job done on February 17, there’s a good chance he’s fighting the winner of O’Malley versus Vera at UFC 299 next month in Miami, Florida. While he’d rather fight anyone for a title than not fight for one at all, Dvalishvili hopes the current champion comes out on top.
FREE FIGHTS | Ilia Topuria vs Josh Emmett | Alexander Volkanovski vs Yair Rodriguez | Merab Dvalishvili vs Marlon Moraes
“I’m rooting for O’Malley because I’ve wanted to fight him since 2018, when I won my first fight in the UFC, and I’ve been calling his name to fight him,” Dvalishvili said. “I’m calling him out not because I think I’m going to beat him, but I see him as a challenge, I see him as a star, and I want to fight him.
“I think, right now, from the contenders, I’m the hardest matchup for Sean O’Malley. Chito Vera, stylistically, it’s an easy fight for [O’Malley] because Chito just strikes and it’s easy to read him…it’s no secret, O’Malley loves strikers. I’m unpredictable, and it’s so hard to read me and know what I’m going to do.”
UFC 298: Volkanovski vs Topuria took place live from Honda Center in Anaheim, California on February 17, 2024. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
Tags
