Dvalishvili: Extreme Sparring Before Winning at UFC 320

The UFC bantamweight champion, Merab Dvalishvili, starred in an unusual routine last weekend in Las Vegas, prior to his title defense against Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320. Dvalishvili, known for his impressive stamina, completed five full rounds of sparring in the gym, approximately nine hours before his fight. This information was revealed by Khalil Rountree Jr., Dvalishvili’s teammate at Syndicate MMA, during his participation in the Jaxxon Podcast. Syndicate MMA’s head coach, John Wood, confirmed this practice.

This isn’t new. It’s funny that Khalil is the one who revealed 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 spar for six, and I had to stop him.

John Wood, head coach of Syndicate MMA

According to Wood, these five rounds are performed at a pace of “approximately 70 percent.” Despite this, it remains an uncommon practice in the sport, designed to be “tough and technical.”

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

John Wood, head coach of Syndicate MMA

In addition to the five rounds in the gym, Dvalishvili also warms up in the locker room before the fight. The 34-year-old Georgian fighter usually completes between three and five additional rounds with his teammate and former bantamweight champion, Aljamain Sterling, just before entering the octagon.

The craziest thing is the five rounds right before the fight. Aljamain brings a full helmet, 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 hitting him there. It’s quite interesting.

John Wood, head coach of Syndicate MMA

Dvalishvili is famous for his relentless physical condition. 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.