LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – OCTOBER 04: Merab Dvalishvili of Georgia awaits the start of a round in the UFC bantamweight championship fight during the UFC 320 event at T-Mobile Arena on October 04, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Merab Dvalishvili completely and utterly dominated Corey Sandhagen throughout UFC 320’s co-main event. Corey Sandhagen is one of the toughest, most well-rounded fighters in all of MMA, and Merab made it look easy. The judges scored the contest unanimously for the champion 49-45, 49-45, and 49-46, with two judges giving Merab a 10-8 round in round two. Following a slow start for the champion and a decisive first round for the challenger, Merab won every round, every exchange, and every moment of the fight from the opening horn in round two to the final horn in round five. Over the course of five rounds, Merab secured twenty takedowns! Twenty! The most takedowns in UFC title fight history and the most ever takedowns in a five-round fight in UFC history.

What Merab accomplished against Corey Sandhagen is something we have never seen before. It is a travesty that Dvalishvili did not receive Performance of the Night honors alongside Alex Pereira and Jiří Procházka, considering Merab’s record-breaking achievement in the co-main event last night. The biggest takeaway from UFC 320 is that Merab appears indestructible because this is a historic level of dominance, we are witnessing from the bantamweight champion. 

Merab Dvalishvili’s win at UFC 320 was his fourteenth in a row, placing fourth all-time on the UFC’s longest win streak list behind only Anderon Silva (16), Islam Makhachev (15), and Kamaru Usman. The unanimous decision victory over Sandhagen was also Merab’s third title defense in 2025, making Dvalishvili only the eighth UFC champion ever to defend their title three times within a calendar year, joining the likes of Alex Pereira (2024), Kamaru Usman (2021), Demetrious Johnson (2013), Chuck Lidell (2006), Matt Hughes (2002), Tito Ortiz (2001) and Frank Shamrock (1998). Merab has even expressed his desire to fight in December at UFC 323 and attempt to become the first UFC champion to defend their title four times within a calendar year. 

“I want to busy and Hunter Campbell and Dana White if you have a spot in December, I would love to make a quick turnaround” Merab Dvalishvili told Joe Rogan in the UFC 320 post-fight interview.

Dvalishvili being crowned 2025 Fighter of the Year is already a guarantee due to the insane level of activity and dominance he has displayed in the octagon, similar to Alex Pereira in 2024. However, my reasoning for placing Merab as the pound-for-pound best MMA fighter in the world goes beyond his dominance in 2025. When it comes down to it, a pound-for-pound list is a mythical list that identifies the best fighters in the world by hypothetically making them all the same size. Within that context, I believe Dvalishvili is the most well-rounded fighter in the world. 

Merab is one of the Best Wrestlers in UFC History

Dvalishvili has always been known for his strong wrestling background. He earned the title as the best wrestler in the bantamweight division by defeating Olympic Wrestling Gold Medalist and two-division UFC champion Henry Cejudo at UFC 298. But Merab is not just the best wrestler in his division; he is one of the best in all of MMA. During the fight with Sandhagen, Merab’s third takedown of the fight set another record for The Machine, as he became the first fighter in the UFC’s 30-year history to secure 100 takedowns over the course of his career. Earlier this year at UFC 311, Merab broke George St. Pierre’s longstanding record of most takedowns in UFC history (90). Following UFC 320, Dvalishvili has 117 career takedowns, shattering GSP’s record. This record illustrates that The Machine is one of the best wrestlers in UFC history, never mind among active fighters. 

Source: UFC

Merab is the Most Underrated Striker in the UFC

Merab Dvalishvili is the most underrated striker in the UFC. What Coach John Wood has done in transforming Merab from a wrestling-heavy style fighter into a complete, well-rounded fighter is incredible. He is not the cleanest striker, but his ability to close the distance, change levels, and even land strikes after failing to secure a takedown is extremely effective. At UFC 320, Merab out struck one of the best strikers in the entire UFC in Corey Sandhagen with a 114-80 advantage in significant strikes. Over the course of five rounds, Dvalishvili threw 399 total strikes, landing 243 total. In Merab’s four championship fights, he has landed more significantly than Sean O’Malley twice, Umar, and Corey Sandhagen, all three of whom were considered superior strikers to Merab heading into their fights. 

Merab is an All-Time Great

Then add the sheer pace he fights with and the cardio. Pace and cardio are where Merab really sticks out against the rest of the pack. Combine the wrestling, striking, cardio, and pace, and it’s hard not to conclude that Dvalishvili is the most well-rounded fighter in the UFC. With that in mind, how can you argue that Merab is not the pound-for-pound best in the world right now? We have not even discussed the level of competition he has faced in the process. Merab has defeated four former UFC champions in Jose Aldo, Petr Yan, Henry Cejudo, and Sean O’Malley. Merab is not just great; he is historically great and all-time great in the UFC, and it feels like only the beginning.