Merab Dvalishvili: The Champion Who Was Sparring Hours Before the Fight
The UFC bantamweight champion, Merab Dvalishvili, starred in an unusual routine last weekend in Las Vegas, by performing five full rounds of sparring in the gym, approximately nine hours before his title defense against Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320. Dvalishvili (21-4) defeated Sandhagen (18-5) by decision, in what was apparently his second five-round fight of the day. During an interview on the Jaxxon Podcast, UFC light heavyweight Khalil Rountree Jr., Dvalishvili’s teammate at Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas, revealed this peculiar detail.According to Wood, the five rounds are performed at a pace of “approximately 70 percent.” Despite this, it remains an uncommon practice in the sport, designed to be, in Wood’s words, “tough, technical.” In addition to the five rounds in the gym, Dvalishvili performs a thorough 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, just before entering the octagon.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 six, and I had to stop him.
John Wood, Head Coach of Syndicate MMA
Dvalishvili is known for his relentless endurance. In the 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.The craziest thing is the five rounds right before the fight. Aljamain brings a full 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
