Merab Dvalishvili: The Unusual Pre-Fight Routine of the UFC Bantamweight Champion
UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili surprised everyone by revealing his unusual preparation routine for his fights. Dvalishvili, known for his impressive physical endurance, usually does an exhaustive workout on the same day as the fight, including five full rounds of sparring. This practice, which might seem unusual to many, was confirmed by his teammate and coach, John Wood, who revealed details about Dvalishvili’s preparation.According to Wood, these five rounds of sparring are performed at an intense pace, although with reduced intensity to 70%. Despite this, the practice remains uncommon in the world of mixed martial arts, and is designed to be a technical and demanding workout. In addition to the five rounds of sparring in the gym, Dvalishvili also performs an intense warm-up in the locker room before each fight. This warm-up includes between three and five additional rounds with his teammate and former bantamweight champion, Aljamain Sterling. Dvalishvili is famous for his exceptional cardiovascular capacity, as demonstrated in his recent fight against Cory Sandhagen, where he achieved 20 takedowns, raising his career total to 117, the record in UFC history. Currently, the Georgian fighter has already requested that the UFC schedule his next title defense for December.“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
