There was no stopping Merab Dvalishvili from getting his hands on UFC gold.
“The Machine” was relentless in his approach against Sean O’Malley, taking down the bantamweight champ with ease round by round to win a unanimous decision on the scorecards. Dvalishvili’s title win went down at UFC 306 at the Sphere where the Georgian celebrated on top of the cage with his new belt for all to see.
Anik Expects A Second Show At The Sphere ‘At Some Point’
While UFC 306 is said to be a one-and-done show at the Sphere by UFC CEO Dana White, who apparently spent more than $20M on the event, Jon Anik says we could see more moments like Dvalishvili’s inside the unique venue in due time.
“I’m not sure anything aesthetically would ever top it,” Anik told Middle Easy of working UFC 306. “And I think for a lot of us on the UFC live production team, we’re happy to have this first one in the can. And, yes, I say first one because I am expecting that we’re gonna run that back at the sphere at some point. However long it takes, who knows?”
Another show at the Sphere isn’t all that’s on the mind of longtime color commentator Anik…
Anik On ‘Handicapping’ Dvalishvili vs. Nurmagomedov
Two weeks removed from the changing of the guard at bantamweight, everybody’s already talking about how long Dvalishvili will hold his belt for, considering he may have the undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov ahead of him in his first title defense, whenever that comes.
“It has me wondering how you beat Merab Dvalishvili and Valentina Shevchenko in their next fights because they just look so dominant. Merab here, in particular, just looks so quick that all DC [Daniel Cormier] and I were thinking about was handicapping an Umar Nurmagomedov fight and how that might actually play out…”
Cousin of Khabib and brother of Bellator Champion Usman, Umar has been touted by many to join them as a world champion with a high-level game in both the striking and grappling departments, which was on full display against top contender Cory Sandhagen, a fight he arguably won every round of.
Though, Dvalishvili did had a domination of his own against O’Malley, cancelling out the striker with his wrestling and constant movement on the feet.
“I think going into Merab and Sean O’Malley, a lot of people might have fancied Umar against either guy, and maybe now they’re not so sure just given how dominant Merab was,” Anik said.
What Makes Dvalishvili ‘The Total Package’
While the 18-0 Nurmagomedov seems to have it all in arsenal, Anik shares the same sentiment for the new champ and “total package” Dvalishvili, whose wrestling prowess is backed by non-stop cardio and pressure along with an insane willingness to win.
“Guys like Merab Dvalishvili and Belal Muhammad are never gonna get credit for what they do as strikers if they have a nice jab or a nice point of entry. But, man, the total package of Merab, like, the dude needs to be tested for science, right?” Anik said of Dvalishvili. “And, yeah, I’m saying that maybe for comedic value, but what is inside of there?
“I’m sure you’ve heard Colby Covington talk about the third lung he realized he had when he was 8 years old playing soccer. But there’s just something about this champion, this unbreakable will, combined with this cardiovascular base and strength…
“If you take John Wood at his word, he’s only getting better,” Anik made mention of Dvalishvili’s coach. “So, we’ll see if he can start knocking some people out, but Merab’s the man. Couldn’t happen to a better human being, as trite as that may sound. Georgia getting some things done. We’ll see which nation is next.”
Watch the full interview with Middle Easy’s James Lynch below!
