Dvalishvili: Extreme Sparring Before Defeating Sandhagen at UFC 320

Merab Dvalishvili: An Unusual Preparation Before the UFC Victory

UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili surprised everyone by completing a five-round training session at the gym, just hours before his title defense against Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320. Dvalishvili, with a record of 21-4, achieved a dominant decision victory on Saturday, in what was apparently his second five-round fight of the day. The revelation was made by Khalil Rountree Jr., Dvalishvili’s teammate at Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas, during an interview on the Jaxxon Podcast. Syndicate MMA head coach John Wood confirmed the information.

This isn’t new. It’s funny that Khalil is the one revealing it. Merab has been doing this since I started training him [in 2020]. Every fight day, he comes in and spars for five rounds. He wanted to do six, and I had to stop him.

John Wood

According to Wood, these five rounds are performed at a moderate pace, approximately 70% intensity. Even so, it is an uncommon practice in the sport, designed to be “intense and technical”.

I’ve had many guys who want to do a practice round over the years, but this is different. The way Merab does it, he’s a savage. He’s a total savage. I used to get nervous doing this on fight day, until I realized it’s part of his process.

John Wood

In addition to the five rounds in the gym, Dvalishvili does an additional warm-up in the fight area. Before entering the octagon, the 34-year-old Georgian fighter usually does between three and five rounds with his teammate and former bantamweight champion, Aljamain Sterling.

The craziest thing is the five rounds right before the fight. Aljamain brings a full head protector, and it’s a complete workout in the locker room. Obviously, Aljo isn’t there to hurt him, and it’s gotten to a point on multiple occasions where I feel bad for Aljo, because Merab is just beating him up in there. It’s pretty interesting.

John Wood

Dvalishvili is known for his relentless endurance. In his fight against Sandhagen, he achieved 20 takedowns, raising his career total to 117, the most in UFC history. He has already requested that the UFC schedule his next title defense in December.