Merab Dvalishvili is doing his best to live up to his nickname.
“The Machine” (20-4 MMA, 13-2 UFC) will compete in his fourth consecutive world title fight in less than 13 months when he defends his UFC bantamweight championship against Cory Sandhagen (18-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC) in the co-main event at UFC 320 on October 4.
Having already notched wins over Umar Nurmagomedov and Sean O’Malley this year, the Georgian says he’d love to add Sandhagen’s name to that list—and even hopes to squeeze in one more title defense before 2025 comes to a close.
"I don't overlook Cory Sandhagen. It's going to be a tough fight. But God willing, I'm going to do my best to win this fight, and if I win, I want a quick turnaround and I want to fight in December," Dvalishvili said on the Full Send Podcast.
"I will ask the UFC for a favor to give me another fight in December or even November. I don't care. Petr Yan is the clear contender right now. He deserves it. I don't want to make him wait too long. I can take a quick turnaround and fight him, and after we will see who will be the next contender."
Dvalishvili already owns a victory over Yan (19-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC), having dominated the former champion across 25 minutes when they met in early 2023. The Russian has rebounded well from that setback, however, stringing together wins over Song Yadong, Deiveson Figueiredo, and Marcus McGhee to vault himself back into the title mix at 135 pounds.
Although Dvalishvili won their first encounter decisively, he admits that “No Mercy” was a tough opponent to prepare for.
"Every fight I have a different plan, but against Petr Yan, I don't have a plan because I was scratching my head: How am I going to fight him?," Dvalishvili said. "He has good takedown defense, he's a great striker and he's a dog. I was like, 'How am I going to fight this motherf*cker?' So the day before, when we made weight, he pushed me. Then my mind opened. I'm like: I'm going to teach you."
Dvalishvili signed with the UFC in 2017 and, after dropping his first two bouts inside the Octagon, has since rattled off 13 straight victories. Now 34, he shows no signs of slowing down and insists he’s in it for the long haul.
"My goal is to just do my best," Dvalishvili said. "I don't overthink that, but I want to just do my best, fight as much as I can, and win as much as I can. I want more wins and more fights. My goal is to fight until I'm 50 years old in the UFC. I hope I can be champion at that time, but it's impossible. I'm 34 now. Sixteen more years staying champion – it's impossible."
