The hours before a UFC title fight are usually quiet and controlled. Fighters hydrate, stretch, visualize, and protect every remaining ounce of energy. But Merab Dvalishvili is different. As UFC 323 in Las Vegas crept toward its main event, fans learned that the bantamweight champion had once again done the unthinkable. He stepped into a sparring session on fight day.

MMA fighter Mark Vologdin posted a video, stating, “Saturday morning, fight day (UFC 323), and what I’m gonna do, (sparring with Merab).”

The clip showed Dvalishvili doing exactly what most fighters avoid at all costs just hours before walking into a five-round title defense. And just like that, panic and awe collided.

For longtime followers, this wasn’t new, just newly visible. Dvalishvili has built one of the most relentless resumes in modern MMA with a 14-fight UFC win streak.

He has already completed three title defenses in 2025 alone, with UFC 323 offering him a chance to become the first champion ever to defend a belt four times in the same calendar year. Still, knowing this background didn’t stop fans from asking the same question: why risk it now?

The answer, according to those closest to him, is simple. This is who ‘The Machine’ is. UFC 320 offered a perfect example. Hours before outworking Cory Sandhagen over five rounds, Dvalishvili sparred five full rounds at Syndicate MMA! He sparred just nine hours before that fight.

Head coach John Wood confirmed it in October, telling ESPN, “This isn’t new. It’s funny that Khalil is the one getting it out there. Merab has done this ever since I started training him [in 2020]. Every fight day, he goes in and spars for five rounds. He wanted to spar six, and I had to stop him.”

Wood admitted the routine once terrified him. “It used to make me nervous as s— doing this on fight day, until I got to know it’s just part of his process.” he said.

That process has clearly worked as Merab Dvalishvili dominated Sandhagen, scored 20 takedowns, and barely looked tired. After all, he is known for his relentless cardio. Yet for fans watching fight-day sparring footage hours before UFC 323, logic gave way to emotion. Take a look at what the MMA sphere had to say!

Fans left in a bind as footage of Merab Dvalishvili before UFC 323 surfaces online

One fan wrote, “I wouldn’t expect anything less from the machine.”

That reaction speaks to how fans now view Dvalishvili less as a man and more as a force of nature. His cardio, pace, and mental durability are so extreme that sparring on fight day almost feels consistent with his brand. To this group, ‘The Machine’ breaking convention doesn’t raise concern; it reinforces his myth!

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Another fan added, “If he wins, this is going to look like some superhuman sh–, if he loses—we’ll know why lol.”

Well, the fan seemed to find an explanation for both possible scenarios in the short clip. And they might now be wrong. In addition to the sparring session, Dvalishvili also gets a good warmup at the arena prior to the fight. So, it is clear he uses up a lot of energy even before the fight starts.

As per ESPN, the fighter usually does three to five rounds with teammate and former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling right before walking out.

No wonder a social media user speculated, “Sometimes I wonder if doing stuff like this is actually having a negative effect on his performances which would just make his resume even more impressive.”

Well, most fighters avoid sparring on fight day for exactly that reason. And while it may have worked previously for Dvalishvili, his second fight against Petr Yan is not going to be easy. The Russian will be motivated to avenge his loss from 2023.

Similarly, another fan wrote, “Hope this doesn’t catch up to him.”

This is the simplest fear, and maybe the most honest reaction. MMA careers turn suddenly. Overtraining, accumulated damage, and bad timing don’t announce themselves beforehand. Fans who’ve watched champions fall know that routines don’t fail gradually; they fail all at once.

And finally, one fan declared, “It’s over for Yan.”

Petr Yan, a former champion and elite technician, already lost to Dvalishvili once in 2023 by unanimous decision. So, seeing the champion sparring hours before the rematch didn’t signal vulnerability to some fans; it signaled supreme confidence.

Whether dangerous or genius, Dvalishvili’s refusal to change has become part of the stakes. UFC 323 isn’t just about another title defense. It’s about whether an unconventional process can keep defying conventional wisdom. If the Georgian wins again, the panic will turn into belief. If not, today’s footage will be replayed endlessly.

Either way, ‘The Machine’ remains exactly what he’s always been, unrelenting, unpredictable, and impossible to ignore!