Fighters with mostly decision wins are often considered boring. Just look at the fate of Movsar Evloev. But Merab Dvalishvili has turned that narrative around with his 13-fight win streak. Out of these 13 wins, he only finished two of them. The last one came against Sean O’Malley at UFC 316, with a hold that he called the ‘Machine Choke’ (a modified North-South Ninja choke). The rematch with ‘Suga Sean’ was Dvalishvili’s second bantamweight title defense. Now many, including Dana White, consider his next bout to be a rematch against Umar Nurmagomedov. 

Initially, ‘The Machine’ sidelined ‘Young Eagle’, claiming that he wasn’t really worthy of a title shot. But the duo ended up clashing at UFC 311, with Dvalishvili dominating the Nurmagomedov from pillar to post. Yes, the Georgian champion won the bout via a unanimous decision. But it was an exciting performance that earned him the Fight of the Night bonus. To be fair to Umar Nurmagomedov, he broke his hand in the first round, as a result of lingering injury. This means, his punching power was taken out and so was his grappling ability. So, does that mean we’d get different results if the two fought again? Dvalishvili’s head coach, Ray Longo, doesn’t think so. 

Longo spoke to Red Corner MMA, in Azerbaijan where his Nazim Sadykhov secured the first KO of the night at UFC Baku. Nazim Sadykov is the latest export of Team Serra-Longo, where both Merab Dvalishvili and Ray Longo were in his corner during the fight. Weighing in on the rematch between Nurmagomedov and ‘The Machine’, Longo predicted that it would end “the same way the first fight was.”

He continued, “Maybe worse, just like O’Malley. The O’Malley fight, first one he didn’t finish. The second one… The more comfortable Merab gets, the better he’s gonna get. He already fought Umar. He’s got the confidence now. You gotta remember, even in the Umar fight, he played around a little bit.” 

The coach then reflected on the rematch against O’Malley. It was a bout where the bantamweight champion was razor focused, and didn’t play around in the Octagon. He said, “No, playing around would’ve been a different story. So, he’s getting more serious with the fight. You didn’t see it in the O’Malley fight. No playing around at all. No kissing, no looking away. He’s all business. So, he’s gonna do that. I believe he’s gonna do that to Umar too.” 

But what exactly makes ‘The Machine’ strong enough to defeat O’Malley and Nurmagomedov? The answer lies in the Georgian champion’s history with the UFC. Let’s hear it from Longo, himself.

Ray Longo explains how the UFC turned Merab Dvalishvili into a monster

Merab Dvalishvili had a tough title run in the UFC. He had to win 10 back-to-back fights to earn his first shot at the title. During this time, he had to walk through former UFC champions like Petr Yan, Jose Aldo, and Henry Cejudo. And this slow grind to the top is what turned him into the fighter that he is today. 

Talking to SiriusXM, Ray Longo revealed, “First off, he’s still getting better. Merab was always a work in progress. Even any time he lost before he got to the UFC, he always made the corrections. His two losses, which I didn’t think were losses, he made corrections in those fights. He just kept getting better and better. I said it the other day, what they did to him to get to the title, putting a who’s-who in front of him to beat, I think they just created a monster.”

Each fight clocked in contributed to Dvalishvili’s development. Longo continued, “His confidence just kept getting better and better—everything. We had to walk through fire to get to that title and it’s that thing: Whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. I think he’s a perfect example of that because they put five to six guys in front of him that I’m sure they thought were going to beat him and they didn’t, and this is what you see.”

The road to the UFC title is what shaped Dvalishvili. He is now known for his incredible gas tank, which ensures ‘The Machine’ lives up to his moniker; outworks his opponents, make them seem like amateurs—even if he doesn’t get a finish. But will it be enough to beat Umar Nurmagomedov a second time? Food for thought.