UFC Bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili has squeezed a former Bellator title holder with Dana White Cageside.
Merab Dvalishvili had to bind its way in the UFC Octagon years before he became one of the biggest stars of the promotion. But when he got the chance to prove that he deserved to be on the top platform of MMA, Dvalishvili seized it.
Dvalishvili fought the final Bellator Bantamweight title holder Raufeon Stots at Ring of Combat 59 in Atlantic City. UFC CEO Dana White, Matt Serra and Din Thomas sat at the event on the event as part of the 'look' for a fight 'YouTube series, and White had focused on the opponent of Dvalishvili for a potential UFC sign drawing.
But it was DvalishVili who stole the spotlight at Ring of Combat 59.
Photo by Cooper Neill/Zuffa LLC
Merab Dvalishvili stopped Raufeon dots in 15 seconds with Dana White Cageside
Dvalishvili, a highly decorated wrestler who entered the stuns fight, was the over-headed side in the matchup. But only 15 seconds in the fight, Dvalishvili landed a rotating backfist to the Kin van Stots that landed clean, which resulted in a brutal knockout finish.
Watch DvalishVili Get the finish in the TijdsteSPLED video below.
Dvalishvili earned a post-fight meeting with White in the dressing room, where White offered him a UFC contract. Dvalishvili celebrated with his team and only a few months later he took his first walk to the UFC Octagon.
Seven years after the 15-second knockout, DvalishVili earned the UFC Bantamweight Championship by opening Sean O'Malley on UFC 306. From this letter he has collected an unbeaten streak of 12-fighting and is one of the biggest fan favorites in the UFC.
Despite the heart -warming moment between White and Dvalishvili after fighting, the relationship between the two parties has been a roller coaster. White has publicly criticized Dvalishvili for some of his antics outside the Octagon, and his refusal to fight the old teammate Aljamain Sterling when Sterling held the UFC Bantamweight title.
Merab Dvalishvili ran a horrible injury just a few weeks after UFC 316
Dvalishvili will return against O'Malley in a title fight Rematch on UFC 316 next month. The champion recently defended the belt against the previously unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov on UFC 311.
Only a few weeks before UFC 316, Dvalishvili shared a horrible toe injury that he sustained during training. But luckily the Dvalishvili injury will not keep out of the fight because he wants to put the Rivalry of O'Malley on the shelf.
O'Malley's immediate Rematch has been on UFC 306 after a long break since their first fight. Before he fell to Dvalishvili, O'Malley earned the title by spreading and succeeding Sterling by defending it against Marlon Vera on UFC 299.