The hours before a UFC title fight are usually quiet and controlled, as fighters hydrate, stretch, visualize, and protect every remaining ounce of energy. Merab Dvalishvili, however, has never been one for normal. As UFC 323 in Las Vegas crept toward its main event, fans learned that the bantamweight champion had once again done the unthinkable, stepping into a sparring session on fight day itself. Not pad work. Not movement drills. Sparring.

The revelation spread quickly after Championship Rounds posted on X: “Merab was sparring this morning before the Petr Yan fight…”

The post was soon backed up by footage from Mark Vologdin, who stated in the video, “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’s 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!

Head coach John Wood later confirmed it, 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. Yet for fans watching fight-day sparring footage hours before UFC 323, logic gave way to emotion as we take a look at what the MMA sphere had to say!

Fans left in a bind as footage of Merab Dvalishvili sparring on the day of his UFC 323 title fight 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!

Another fan added, “If he wins, this is going to look like some superhuman sh–, if he loses—we’ll know why lol.” This reaction captures the tightrope Dvalishvili walks. His habits age well only when the results follow. Victory fuels legend. Defeat reframes risk as recklessness. Fans understand that outcome dictates narrative, and sparring hours before a title fight magnifies both extremes.

One fan wondered, “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.” This comment flips the concern inward. If Merab Dvalishvili has been handicapping himself and still dominating former champions, what does that say about his true ceiling? It’s a rare question, one that credits his success while quietly questioning whether he could be even better.

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But another fan wrote, another wrote, “Hope this doesn’t catch up to him.” This is the simplest fear, and maybe the most honest. 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.” That reaction skips the concern entirely. Petr Yan, a former champion and elite technician, already lost to Dvalishvili once in 2023 by unanimous decision. Seeing the champion sparring hours before the rematch didn’t signal vulnerability to some fans, it signaled supreme confidence.

Whether dangerous or genius, Merab 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!