issue 223
November 2025
Merab Dvalishvili finally felt the weight around his waist that night when he first took the title. This was when the first-time champion had outrun every doubt anyone ever had about him. ‘The Machine’ had spent so long grinding through contenders that the moment he broke through felt like overdue paperwork and became the man everyone had to chase. What makes this image hit harder now is what came next. He hasn’t sat on the belt, he hasn’t cruised, and he didn’t pick soft touches. He defended it again. And again. And again. Three more times in 2025, even though about ending, turning himself into a calendar-year wrecking ball with a pace only Tito Ortiz ever matched in raw speed. In December, he walks back into the cage with the same belt, the same engine, and a chance to finish the year with history in both hands.
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