Merab Dvalishvili: A Champion with Unusual Preparation
The UFC bantamweight champion, Merab Dvalishvili, surprised everyone by completing five full rounds of sparring in the gym, just hours before his title defense against Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320. Dvalishvili, who defeated Sandhagen by decision, apparently repeated this unusual routine. According to Khalil Rountree Jr., Dvalishvili’s teammate at Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas, the champion did the sparring before heading to the event.Wood explained that, although sparring is done at a slightly reduced pace, around 70%, it is still an uncommon practice in the sport. The coach describes Dvalishvili as a “savage” and admits that it initially made him nervous, until he understood that it was part of the fighter’s process. In addition to the five rounds in the gym, Dvalishvili does an extra warm-up in the arena before the fight. The 34-year-old Georgian fighter usually does between three and five more rounds with his teammate and former bantamweight champion, Aljamain Sterling, right before entering the octagon.This is not something new. It’s curious that Khalil is the one who revealed it. Merab has been doing this since I started training him [in 2020]. Every fight day, he goes and spars for five rounds. He wanted to do six, and I had to stop him.
John Wood, head coach of Syndicate MMA
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. The champion has already requested that the UFC schedule his next title defense in December.The craziest thing is the five rounds right before the fight. Aljamain brings his protective helmet and it’s a full-on sparring match 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, head coach of Syndicate MMA
