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'I was heartbroken': How Merab Dvalishvili overcame early MMA failures to become UFC champ
Imagine you uproot your entire life, move to a new country where you don't speak the language, all to chase one very specific dream. Then imagine that after you step out to try your hand at the dream you come home a loser. That was Merab Dvalishvili back in 2014. He came to the United States from his home country of Georgia. He didn't speak English and had no idea where to even begin in his quest to become a pro fighter. Advertisement A decade later he would become UFC men's bantamweight champ, but not before he started his pro MMA career with a loss via majority decision. Dvalishvili would wind up losing two of his first three pro fights, in fact, which was more than a little disheartening for a guy who was barely scraping by at a construction job by day just so he could train as a fighter each night. 'I was heartbroken,' Dvalishvili told Uncrowned ahead of his title defense against former champ Sean O'Malley at UFC 316 on Saturday. 'I lost a fight. You know, you can lose maybe a tennis game, a soccer game. But this is a fight. When you take a loss in a fight, it's hard. I was thinking, maybe I wasn't good enough. Maybe I should quit.' He was 23 at the time. He told himself that perhaps the thing to do was take some time off from MMA. Just work his job and live his life for a little while. See what it would feel like to just be a regular person for a little while. Maybe he didn't have to beat himself up over a dream that seemed so distant and unattainable. So he drifted away from the ranks of professional MMA. He went nearly a year and a half without a fight. Advertisement 'But what happened was, when I was away from MMA, I missed it,' Dvalishvili said. 'I said, you know, I don't care. If I lose, if I win, I just want to keep fighting because I love this. When I came back, I was super motivated.' Dvalishvili then reeled off six straight wins. He became champion in New Jersey's Ring of Combat promotion, which is where he first got the attention of UFC CEO Dana White. When the UFC signed him in 2017, it seemed like the dream he'd almost given up on was starting to come true. Then he lost his first fight in the UFC by a razor-thin margin on the judges' scorecards. Then he lost his second when cageside officials made a controversial call to award opponent Ricky Simon the victory even after Dvalishvili appeared to survive a late choke attempt all the way until the final horn. That call by officials dropped Dvalishvili to 0-2 in the UFC, which jeopardized his roster spot and put him seemingly miles away from a UFC title. Ray Longo, Dvalishvili's coach, was incensed. Advertisement 'I thought that was horrible,' Longo said. 'They took that win away from him, and I went a little crazy. I'm overprotective sometimes. But afterwards I remember I went to Merab like, are you not as upset as I am about this? He told me, 'I can't change it. All I can do is react to what happened.' And that's how Merab is still to this day. The good, the bad, he takes it in stride and keeps working his ass off regardless.' The guys at Longo's gym in Long Island all knew how good Dvalishvili was. They saw it in the practice room every day. They couldn't believe a fighter like him could be winless in two tries with the UFC. There were times, Longo said, when the team had to remind Dvalishvili that he was better than his record. 'The thing with Merab, he's the ultimate win-or-learn guy,' Longo said. 'Any time he lost, he made those corrections and he never lost that way again. He learned more from his losses than I think anybody I've ever seen.' The controversial defeat to Simon was the last time Dvalishvili went home a loser. He won his next 10 fights to secure a title shot against then-champion O'Malley late last year, then nabbed the belt with a one-sided decision victory at UFC 306. He's since defended it once, downing top contender Umar Nurmagomedov via unanimous decision in January, before booking Saturday's rematch against O'Malley. Merab Dvalishvili outworked Sean O'Malley in their first title fight to earn a unanimous decision victory. (Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images) (USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect / Reuters) There are times, Dvalishvili said, when it almost feels surreal to think about how far he's come in his pursuit of the dream that is now his reality. Advertisement 'When I moved to the U.S., my goal was to go to the UFC,' Dvalishvili said. 'But I had no idea how to go to the UFC. It was difficult even to watch the UFC on TV [in Georgia]. When I came here, I don't know how to watch it or buy a paper and read about it. It was hard even to find a gym to train. I wasn't sure it would ever work for me. Even when I went to the UFC, I was still working construction. And thanks to God, everything worked for me.' The way Longo sees it, it wasn't just good fortune that propelled Dvalishvili to success. He watched the Georgian's rise from fledgling undercard fighter to UFC champion, and the one thing that never changed was Dvalishvili's attitude in the gym. Even after Dvalishvili left New York to live and train in Las Vegas — and even after his success in the cage brought him titles and money — his approach to training was always hard-nosed and relentless. 'Other guys are in the [UFC Performance Institute] to hang out or get a massage,' Longo said. 'Merab, I guarantee you, is there to work. He's always in the gym, always in shape. Other guys, you think maybe if you can get them on a short-notice fight you'll have a better chance. How are you going to do that with Merab? He never leaves the gym.' And why should he? As Dvalishvili explained, as soon as he's away from the sport for any length of time he's only reminded how much he loves it. This is why, he said, the work never feels much like work to him, even now. 'If you really love this sport, you have to fight for it,' Dvalishvili said. 'You have to stay positive. If you lose, don't blame nobody. Look for the reason in yourself. Work to fix your mistakes and get better. Most of all, never give up.'
Forbes
20-04-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
UFC Announces First Eight Fights For UFC 316 Pay-Per-View Card
MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 11: Merab Dvalishvili is seen on stage during the UFC 316 press conference at ... More Kaseya Center on April 11, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC) The UFC returns to Newark, New Jersey on Saturday, June 7 for the UFC 316 Pay-Per-View. Two title fights sit atop the fight card. In the main event, UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili faces the man he took the title from, Sean O'Malley. Meanwhile, in the co-main event, two-time women's bantamweight champ Julianna Pena looks to do what she could not in her first title run, make a successful defense of her crown. Pena faces former two-time PFL lightweight tournament winner Kayla Harrison. Below, we look at those two fights and the six other bouts the UFC has officially announced for the UFC 316 fight card. Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O'Malley - Men's bantamweight title fight Julianna Peña vs. Kayla Harrison - Women's bantamweight title fight Vicente Luque vs. Kevin Holland - Welterweight Kelvin Gastelum vs. Joe Pyfer - Middleweight Marlon Vera vs. Mario Bautista - Bantamweight Gustavo da Silva vs. Joshua Van - Flyweight Ariane da Silva vs. Wang Cong - Women's flyweight Johnny Walker vs. Azamat Murzakanov - Light heavyweight Saturday, June 7, 2025 Prudential Center in Newark, NJ Available from Ticketmaster - Prices from $256 (single seats - standard admission) to $6,006 (Official Platinum - front row, floor) MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 11: (L-R) Opponents Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O'Malley face off during the ... More UFC 316 press conference at Kaseya Center on April 11, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Merab Dvalishvili (19-4), a long-time training partner of former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling stepped into the spotlight of the promotion's 135-pound division in September 2014 when he scored a unanimous decision win over then-champion Sean O'Malley in the main event of UFC 306. The 33-year-old Dvalishvili joined the UFC in 2017 as much-hyped prospect. At the time, Dvalishvili was 7-2 and had won and defended the Ring of Combat bantamweight crown. Dvalishvili did not have a smooth start to his UFC run, losing his first two fights. Falling to Frankie Saenz by decision, and the second, to Ricky Simon, via submission. In September 2018, things clicked in place for the Serra-Longo Fight Team product, and he has not lost since. Heading into UFC 306, Dvalishvili was on a 10-fight winning streak. Prior to his matchup against O'Malley, Dvalishvili had defeated Marlon Moraes, Jose Aldo, Petr Yan, and Henry Cejudo. The win over O'Malley stretched his winning streak to 11 straight. Dvalishvili extended that streak to 12 when he defended his title with a unanimous decision win over the previously unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311. MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 11: Sean O'Malley is seen on stage during the UFC 316 press conference at ... More Kaseya Center on April 11, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC) Sean O'Malley (18-2-0-1) was 7-0 with six finishes when he got the chance to fight for a UFC contract on the first season of Dana White's Contender Series back in 2017. O'Malley, scored a first-round knockout, and a UFC contract that night. He went 4-0 in his first bouts with the promotion, picking up three fight-night bonus awards for his efforts, including a brutal one-punch KO win over UFC veteran Eddie Wineland at UFC 250. The win over Wineland put O'Malley at No. 14 in the UFC bantamweight rankings and got him a fight against Marlon 'Chito' Vera. Vera won that fight by TKO, handing O'Malley the only defeat on his record. The loss to Vera knocked O'Malley out of the rankings, but he bounced back in his next fight, knocking out Thomas Almeida and earning another fight-night bonus in the process. He followed that win with a TKO win over Kris Moutinho. Despite those back-to-back wins, O'Malley remained unranked when he next stepped into the Octagon for a December 2021 matchup against Raulian Paiva. O'Malley wrapped that fight up with a knockout at the 4:42 mark of the first round. That victory put O'Malley back in the rankings. O'Malley's next bout ended in a no contest, when an eye poke in the second round left Pedro Munhoz unable to continue. Then, in October 2022, O'Malley was matched up with former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan. He entered that contest as the +230 underdog to the -275 ex-champ. The pair went the three-round distance, with O'Malley getting the split decision nod. That victory set up O'Malley to face Sterling in August 2023. O'Malley has not fought since his loss to Dvalishvili. He is the No. 1 fighter in the official UFC bantamweight rankings. MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 11: (L-R) Opponents Julianna Pena and Kayla Harrison face off during the UFC ... More 316 press conference at Kaseya Center on April 11, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) Julianna Pena (12-5) earned her UFC contract by winning Season 18 of The Ultimate Fighter. A member of Team Tate, Pena knocked out Jessica Rakoczy in the first round of their November 2013 matchup. The win moved Pena's record to 5-2. Pena ran off three victories after that, beating Milana Dudieva, Jessica Eye and Cat Zingano before Valentina Shevchenko ended her winning streak with a January 2017 armbar submission. In October 2017 Pena announced her pregnancy. When she returned to action in July 2019, Pena defeated Nicco Montano by decision. A submission loss to De Randamie in October 2020 followed. In January 2021, Pena submitted Sara McMann. Pena, sitting at No. 3 in the women's bantamweight rankings, earned a shot at Amanda Nunes and her bantamweight title in December 2021. She entered that contest as a -650 underdog to the champ, who was the -1000 betting favorite. In one of the more shocking upsets in UFC title fight history, Pena submitted Nunes in the second round, ending the Brazilian's title reign. Pena's time at the top of the division was short, as Nunes won their July 2022 rematch by decision. Pena was set to face Nunes in a trilogy bout at UFC 289, but an injury knocked the former champ from that scrap. Nunes defeated Pena's replacement, Irene Aldana, on that card and then retired. When Pena returned to action it was at UFC 307 where she defeated then-champion Raquel Pennington via split decision. She makes her first defense of that belt at UFC 316. MIAMI, FLORIDA - APRIL 11: Kayla Harrison is seen on stage during the UFC 316 press conference at ... More Kaseya Center on April 11, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC) A two-time Olympic gold medal winner in judo (2012 and 2016), Kayla Harrison (18-1) made her MMA debut in the 155-pound division with PFL in 2018. Harrison ran over her first six opponents, picking up three submissions, two knockouts, and a decision before winning the women's lightweight title by defeating Larissa Pacheco by decision. In November 2020, Harrison defeated Courtney King by TKO in a 145-pound scrap. Shen then moved back to 155 pounds. In 2021, Harrison won the PFL 155-pound tournament with a submission win over Taylor Guardado. By 2022, Harrison had amassed a 15-0 record. However, her unbeaten ended in the finals of the 2022 PFL lightweight tourney when Pacheco scored a unanimous decision win over Harrison. The ex-champ fought once more for the PFL, beating former UFC fighter Aspen Ladd via decision in November 2023 in a 150-pound catchweight fight. In January 2024, the UFC announced it had signed Harrison and that her promotional debut would take place in the 135-pound weight class. Harrison impressed in that performance, submitting former UFC women's bantamweight champion Holly Holm by submission in the second round at UFC 400. In her next, and most recent, outing, Harrison defeated Ketlen Vieira via unanimous decision. Harrison is the No. 2 ranked fighter in the official UFC women's 135-pound rankings. We will have more on this upcoming UFC PPV as fight night approaches, including previews, odds, and predictions for the UFC 316 fight card.
