Merab Dvalishvili could only watch, helplessness written all over his face, as two-fight novice Jakub Wikłacz claimed a shocking upset over his teammate Muin Gafurov at UFC Vegas 113. The surprising turn came in the final seconds of the three-round bout on the prelims.
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From Gafurov’s corner, a bewildered Dvalishvili replayed the sequence that led to the Tajik Sambo fighter’s third UFC loss since his debut two years ago. The upset was made all the more surprising by the fact that Gafurov had already raised eyebrows by missing weight before the bout.
Merab Dvalishvili reflects on teammate’s disappointing finish
Back in the dressing room, Dvalishvili tried to make sense of the outcome. “Hey guys,” he said. “I’m here with Muin Gafurov at UFC Meta Apex.” Facing the camera, he stood with Gafurov behind him, the 29-year-old’s dejection plain to see. Dvalishvili asked why he had tapped.
“I heard a bell, you know, brother,” Gafurov replied. The mounted guillotine choke and the tap both happened with just one second left in the final round. Gafurov presumed the fight was technically over and told Wikłacz to release him. “What the f**k? Open me,” he said.
That explanation clarified the situation for Dvalishvili, who added, “So how he’s saying—how I understand it—he’s saying he first said good, and then when he heard the bell, he tapped.” The former bantamweight champion saw it as an unfortunate mistake since Gafurov is not someone who taps easily.
😱 Merab Dvalishvili mówi, że Muin Gafurov klepnął w końcówce trzeciej rundy walki z @jakub_wiklacz, bo usłyszał gong kończący rundę i chciał, żeby Kuba już go puścił. źródło: Instagram/@MerabDvalishvil
Despite the setback, Dvalishvili showed class by congratulating Wikłacz on a spectacular win.
Jakub Wikłacz talks through his UFC victory over Gafurov
Across the Octagon, Wikłacz and his team celebrated a hard-fought win, though even he admitted there were moments of doubt. For Gafurov, it was a double setback after missing weight. He came in heavy at the official weigh-ins, forcing the fight to proceed at catchweight, and UFC announced he would forfeit 25% of his purse.
Emotions ran high at Wikłacz’s camp. Speaking at the post-fight press conference at UFC Vegas 113, the Polish fighter admitted the win over Gafurov carried surprises.
Even he doubted the outcome near the end. “I felt the tap,” Wikłacz recalled. Despite locking in the guillotine choke, he worried the fight might not end via submission. But he persisted, and as the seconds ticked away, it clicked—the fight was within his grasp. The fighter who made his UFC debut just four months ago, defeating Patchy Mix at UFC 320, could hear Gafurov struggle under his grip, gasping for air.
“I can hear in my head,” he said. “‘I got him, I got him.’ I need to continue that.” Just then, he felt the tap. When the referee signaled the fight was over, he celebrated, only to hear Gafurov protesting to the referee, “It was the time; it was the time.”
Even after the referee confirmed the result, controversy lingered. Wikłacz remained confident. “I was like f**k no, it was a tap out. Rewatch it,” he said. Reports indicate the ending even confused UFC officials, who had to review footage before confirming Wikłacz’s victory.
