Jon Anik dubs Merab Dvalishvili as 'greatest bantamweight of all time' ahead of UFC 316

USA Today

2 days ago

Jon Anik dubs Merab Dvalishvili as 'greatest bantamweight of all time' ahead of UFC 316
No one can accuse Jon Anik of bias when it comes to the discussion around the greatest UFC bantamweight of all time.
It's no secret lead UFC play-by-play commentator Anik has a very close relationship with former UFC and WEC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz, who has served as a broadcast partner for the better part of a decade.
For many years it was Anik's steadfast opinion that the now-retired Cruz's (24-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) accomplishments were a tier above any other 135-pound fighter in history. That's no longer the case, though. The run reigning titleholder Merab Dvalishvili has put together ahead of Saturday's UFC 316 rematch against Sean O'Malley has superseded that of Cruz.
"I do believe he already has status as the greatest bantamweight of all time," Anik told MMA Junkie. "I say that as a man who if I got married this weekend, Dominick Cruz would be a groomsman. He's one of my best friends in the world. But when I look at the body of work of Merab Dvalishvili in the modern era, he could be 14-0 in the UFC. He lost to Frankie Saenz (by split decision), then a contentious ending against Ricky Simon. After those two guys it's been 12 straight wins ever since."
After retiring from MMA in February, Cruz's in-cage legacy is set in stone. His many accolades will lead to a spot in the UFC Hall of Fame eventually, but Dvalishvili is still in the midst of writing his story.
If Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) is able to put a second win over O'Malley (18-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC) on his resume in their headliner at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+), it extend his winning streak to 13 consecutive fights and give him two title defenses in this reign.
The list of opponents Dvalishvili has already beaten is nothing short of impressive, and if he keeps going, Anik thinks his sentiment around the GOAT conversation will be shared by everyone else in the sport.
"He left a murderer's row of champions in his wake before he even fought for the title," Anik said. "He beat Henry Cejudo, beat Petr Yan, beat Jose Aldo, then he beat Sean O'Malley and defends the title on the challenger's timeline in beating Umar Nurmagomedov. Now the rematch with Sean O'Malley? As far as I'm concerned, with respect to Aljamain Sterling and my BFF Dominick Cruz, the greatest of all time, not so quietly, is Merab 'The Machine' Dvalishvili."