SUMMARY
- Georgian fighter Merab Dvalishvili is one of the better wrestlers in the UFC.
- However, his wrestling prowess has come into question due to a recently surfaced video on X.
Merab Dvalishvili is one of the better wrestlers competing in the UFC. He has incorporated wrestling effectively into his style of fighting which has led to him having an extraordinary winning streak in the promotion’s bantamweight division. However, his wrestling is being discredited due to a recently surfaced video.
In a video posted on X, Merab is seen grappling with another fighter. According to the account that posted the video, the opposition is an “average” fighter from Tajikistan. The video is captioned, “Merab gets slammed by an average Tajikistani fighter, Umar [Nurmagomedov] would do bad things to this guy.”
Merab gets slammed by an average Tajikistani fighter, Umar would do bad things to this guy.🤦 pic.twitter.com/gH4du3VRaY
— Sahil🏋️🤼 (@AbsolutlyNobode) March 29, 2024
Merab Dvalishvili did not look like he was giving it his all in this grappling session and his sparring partner pulled off a decent move to take out the Georgian. Fans in the comments had mixed reactions as some were convinced Merab was not a good wrestler and others claimed that he did not get slammed instead he defended it.
The Georgian bantamweight’s wrestling prowess is in his stats. He is even close to taking over UFC legend Georges St-Pierre in total takedowns landed in the UFC. However, Umar probably agrees with the caption of the video as he believes Merab is not a threat to him.
Umar Nurmagomedov believes Merab Dvalishvili is not a threat to him
In October 2023, Umar’s coach Javier Mendez said, “I think the toughest fight for Umar will be Merab Dvalishvili. But I believe that no one can beat this young eagle,” in an interview with Telecomasia.net.
Mendez doubled down on it in a later interview with The Schmo. However, Umar does not see why Mendez believes Merab Dvalishvili is a threat to him. In an interview with Ushatayka, Umar said, “Honestly, I can fight with Merab on the ground, wherever he wants. I don’t know why Javier sees such a big threat in him.”
Further, he explained how he could get the better of ‘The Machine‘, “In the stand-up, he can’t say that he is technically equipped. He is a person who simply has physical coordination, he is well prepared, he has good stamina. For myself, I don’t see any threat in him.”
Umar Nurmagomedov doesn’t see Merab Dvalishvili as a threat:
“Honestly, I can fight with Merab on the ground, wherever he wants. I don’t know why Javier sees such a big threat in him. In the stand-up, he can’t say that he is technically equipped.
He is a person who simply has… pic.twitter.com/7G9xmJ50TQ
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 27, 2024
Merab is next in line for a title shot against Sean O’Malley after racking up a 10-fight win streak in the UFC. Merab has defeated three former champions in his streak: Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan, and Jose Aldo. Although he is seen as a boring fighter by many fans due to his wrestling, there is no denying his title opportunity.
On the other hand, Umar has never lost in his pro-MMA career. He is on a 17-fight win streak with five of those fights coming in the UFC. As of March 2024, he is ranked #10 in the bantamweight division and is expected to rise enough to earn a title shot soon.