UFC 306 (Noche UFC) joined a short list of events to crown two new champions. In the feature main event, Georgian Merab Dvalishvili closed the night with a bang at UFC’s historic event at Sphere in Las Vegas. ‘The Machine’ captured the 135-pound belt from previous champ Sean O’Malley with utter domination. His countrymen remain more joyous than ever before at this marvelous achievement.
Merab Dvalishvili began a new chapter in bantamweight history on Saturday. Before and after the frame of Dvalishvili’s title bout, Giorgi Kokiashvili (@iHeartGeorgius1) of Setanta Sports uploaded videos of 10,000 fans swarming to see the UFC star win. Now, there’s a tidbit from the same source of Georgian climber Nika Phaliani watching the title fight. That too atop the mountain Ushba, at 4,710m (15452ft)!
Merab Dvalishvili is the second fighter out of Georgia to earn title gold. After his dominant decision over Sean O’Malley (48-47, 48-47, 49-46), he joins Alicante-Georgian Ilia Topuria. His compatriot Topuria captured the title gold at UFC 298. A close friend of ‘Machine’, he has also been subject to immense popularity standards lately.
🏔 Georgian climber Nika Phaliani watched Merab Dvalishvili’s Championship fight at the top of the mountain Ushba, 4,710m (15452ft) 🇬🇪
🧗Ushba (Svaneti, Georgia) is one of the most notable peaks of the Caucasus Mountains. 🏔 pic.twitter.com/Zp0lw9oBeV
— Giorgi Kokiashvili 🇬🇪 (@iHeartGeorgius1) September 16, 2024
Betting favorites went 6-4 on this year’s UFC 306 annual Noche card. A slight underdog in fight week, Dvalishvili (18-4 MMA, 11-2 UFC) subsequently made his record-setting 10th straight at bantamweight. The case of a country rallying behind its fighters is not new, with Topuria, and even Conor McGregor. However, Dvalishvili now boasts his throne in an ultra-rare champions club with quite the fame.
UFC 306 Post-fight facts: Merab Dvalishvili racks ultra-rare route to title win
Dvalishvili made it a record ten wins in a row at 135lbs, using his superior grappling to outpoint Sean O’Malley. The 33-year-old accordingly is the talk of the town and a hot draw of the moment. ‘Suga Show; is no mere fadeout after all. O’Malley’s speed and shot selection are infamous as one of the best striking in UFC competition.
Merab Dvalishvili wraps himself with new step in bantamweight history (Source: threads.net › @ufc)However, these are not why Merab Dvalishvili is a trending matter after the UFC 306 card. The ninth undisputed bantamweight champion in UFC history is the third fighter to win undisputed gold after starting 0-2 in the promotion! Rafael dos Anjos and Miesha Tate also had the same 0-2 losing feat before getting gold eventually.
Hence, it’s a now trendsetting matter for UFC’s Georgian funnyman. Dvalishvili’s 10-fight UFC winning streak is the longest active streak at 135-pound mark. Per statleaders.ufc.com (UFC Record Book), Dvalishvili has 85 takedown attempts in the UFC competition.
Behind the legendary Georges St-Pierre with 90, this is the second highest. In one or two fights, Dvalishvili will likely break the all-time record. When the Georgian entered his title fight foray, his average takedown per minute scaled way up in the top 3. It even practically doubled his fight-time ratio!
Dvalishvili’s 72 takedowns landed in UFC bantamweight is the most. Under Ray Longo’s coaching, his 1,950 total strikes in UFC bantamweight competition are the most in the division. If there was any doubt before, UFC 306 proved he is more than capable of scaling to top strikers. With undefeated contender Umar Nurmagomedov on the stress list, his wrestling prowess is up next.
