UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre showed respect to Merab Dvalishvili for recently shattering one of his legendary marks.
Merab Dvalishvili is a bona fide UFC star after defeating Sean O’Malley for the bantamweight belt at UFC 306 and outpointing the undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311. Dvalishvili is one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in mixed martial arts after a 12-fight winning streak following losses in each of his first two UFC fights.
Dvalishvili is one of the most decorated wrestlers in UFC history, achieving a record 49 takedown attempts against Petr Yan during a 2023 UFC Fight Night headliner. The pace and pressure he’s showcased in his UFC career are feats seldom countered inside the Octagon.
Dvalishvili’s style is similar to that of UFC Hall of Famer Georges St-Pierre, who used grappling and a relentless forward pressure to stifle most of his opponents. In Dvalishvili’s most recent victory at UFC 311, Dvalishvili put himself into a class of his own, surpassing one of St-Pierre’s feats.
Merab Dvalishvili met Georges St-Pierre for the first time at UFC Vegas 104
Dvalishvili entered UFC 311 as a surprising underdog against the at-the-time unbeaten Nurmagomedov. But after a sluggish start to the fight, Dvalishvili outpaced and out-pressured Nurmagomedov en route to a unanimous decision victory.
Dvalishvili achieved more than a successful title defense at UFC 311.
After a series of late-round takedowns, Dvalishvili surpassed St-Pierre as the UFC’s all-time takedown leader (92). St-Pierre secured 90 takedowns during his UFC Hall of Fame run and still holds the all-time welterweight record with 87.
Dvalishvili attended UFC Vegas 104 at the Apex on Saturday night to support his fellow countryman Roman Dolidze, who was competing in the main event. Dvalishvili and St-Pierre shared a lively conversation cageside while both were in attendance, and St-Pierre passed the torch to the UFC’s new takedown king.
Check out Dvalishvili and St-Pierre’s full interaction below.
Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley rematch talks ramp up after jacuzzi reunion
St-Pierre walked away from fighting after a middleweight championship win over Michael Bisping at UFC 217. He was scheduled to return to combat sports in a grappling match with Nick Diaz in 2023 before withdrawing due to injury.
As for Dvalishvili, he’s set for a potential rematch with O’Malley for his next title defense. UFC CEO Dana White endorsed a potential Dvalishvili vs. O’Malley rematch after UFC Seattle, and the two bantamweights reunited during a recent jacuzzi session.
O’Malley hasn’t competed since the Dvalishvili loss and will likely get a rematch despite a short-lived title reign. After knocking out Aljamain Sterling for the belt at UFC 292, O’Malley outpointed Marlon Vera in his lone successful title defense at UFC 299.
As Dvalishvili continues to add to his legacy, surpassing one of St-Pierre’s feats is a tremendous accomplishment. But the Georgian is far from done adding bullet points to his UFC Hall of Fame resume.