Is Merab Dvalishvili the best fighter of 2025? Well, after three title defenses against top contenders, fans don’t seem to doubt it. After dominating Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320, ‘The Machine’ is now back to chase the record of defending a UFC belt for the fourth time in a single year against Petr Yan at UFC 323. And if he pulls that off, there’ll be no debate that this year truly belongs to him. But wait. Some even believe the Georgian might reach Jon Jones‘ dominance from 14 years ago. 

Although ‘Bones’ had been dominant throughout his UFC career, he was absolutely on fire in 2011. The former two-division champ first defeated Ryan Bader, then knocked out Shogun Rua to capture the 205lbs belt. After that, Jon Jones defended the title back-to-back against prime Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson and Lyoto Machida, all by brutal finishes. Even Shogun Rua in 2005 was a force to be reckoned with, beating Alistair Overeem and ‘Rampage’ Jackson in Pride FC. With that kind of yearly domination in mind, prominent MMA journalist Luke Thomas pointed out that Merab Dvalishvili is also on the verge of achieving the same level of greatness. 

Merab Dvalishvili’s 2025 dominance rivals Jon Jones’ legendary 2011 run

In a submission Radio interview, Thomas said, “Let him cook. We’re not gonna get many years like this in the history of MMA. If you look at the other years that someone did something remarkable in a calendar year, it’s Jones 2011, and then it’s Shogun 2005. And Jones had four wins, all via stoppage, and got a belt—defended it twice. It’s pretty good—and beat the number one contender. So, beats number one contender, beats champion, and then beats two title contenders all in the same year—that’s quite remarkable… What Merab is attempting is in concert with that.”  

And that’s absolutely true! At first, Merab was getting criticized for his grappling-heavy fighting style being too boring. But now, ‘The Machine’ has built an entire fan base with his relentless cardio and wrestling. However, as Thomas became absolutely impressed with how the Georgian went through Umar Nurmagomedov, Sean O’Malley, and then Cory Sandhagen in a single year, he couldn’t stop himself from admiring the growth the 135lbs king has shown. 

Luke Thomas added, “But as you have indicated, he’s got this development in every other place. Takedown defense against Umar, you saw that. He was lighting Cory up in round 2. He submits Sean O’Malley. Now he’s adding sort of technical finesse in the whole thing. And that is just a devastating combo. I don’t know if who can deal with it.”  

Well, Merab actually keeps getting better with each title defense, and that should be a real concern for the rest of the division. As he gets ready to make a quick turnaround against Petr Yan to close out the year on December 6th, he’s already laid out his plans for next year, too. Something that left the UFC analyst even more in awe of the Georgian’s capabilities.  

Luke Thomas believes ‘The Machine’s dominance will continue in 2026

This year, ‘The Machine’ is pushing to become the first fighter in UFC history to defend his belt four times in a single year. But as the UFC gears up to enter the Paramount+ CBS era next year, Merab wants to take things even further. Yes, you heard that right! According to Home of Fight on Instagram, the 135 lbs champ’s head coach, John Wood, revealed that Merab will aim to fight five times in 2026—a goal that Luke Thomas actually believes is possible.

Continuing his thoughts on Submission Radio, the veteran journalist said, “So my view is, I like what John Wood had to say. Dude, if he’s healthy and he can get out there, and Merab can kind of protect himself a little bit—if you’re the commission—but in general, if he can meet some basic criteria out there, let him cook, let him go. Let’s see how far he can ride this.”

Well, Merab jumping back into the Octagon for a rematch with Petr Yan just two months after defending his belt is already mind-boggling. But fighting five times next year? That seems like a stretch for now. If Merab beats Yan at UFC 323, the winner of Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Mario Bautista fight will most likely be next. And if Merab manages to defend the belt again after that, a move up to featherweight might be the only logical step. Because by then, he’d have completely cleaned out the 135 lbs division.  

That being said, do you think Merab Dvalishvili has actually shown Jon Jones-level dominance this year? Or does he need to win that next fight to cement that status? Let us know in the comments section below.