Many have been branding Merab Dvalishvili the greatest bantamweight of all time after UFC 316, but not this former opponent.
Dvalishvili is quickly approaching opportunities to set championship records in the 135-pound division after the continuation of his title reign this year.
After Dvalishvili defeated Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 to defend his belt for the first time, he ran it back with the man from whom ‘The Machine’ took the gold, Sean O’Malley.
At UFC 316 in early June, Dvalishvili submitted O’Malley to put an exclamation point on his superiority over ‘Sugar’, extending his record win streak in the division to 12 in the process.
That run of victories, though, came close to ending just six fights in.
Marlon Moraes says Merab Dvalishvili isn’t greater than TJ Dillashaw and Dominick Cruz
At UFC 266 in 2021, Marlon Moraes looked set to finish Dvalishvili after dropping the Georgian standout midway through round one. But ‘The Machine’ rallied, coming back to knock the Brazilian out en route to a post-fight bonus.
Having gone to war with the champ inside the cage, Moraes is well placed to assess Dvalishvili’s unbeaten run since.
But while many have claimed it’s worthy of GOAT status at 135 pounds, ‘Magic’ disagrees.
“I don’t think he is (the best bantamweight of all time),” Moraes told Home of Fight.
“To be honest, he is not better than guys like TJ Dillashaw and Dominick Cruz…(they are) ahead of him in my opinion.”
Merab Dvalishvili dismissed his own GOAT claim
Dvalishvili doesn’t need Moraes to downplay his GOAT credentials, as he has already done so himself.
During his post-fight press conference at UFC 316, Dvalishvili dismissed suggestions that his second victory over O’Malley cemented him at the top spot in the debate.
Unlike Moraes, though, ‘The Machine’ didn’t nominate Dillashaw or Cruz instead.
“Thank you so much. I will say once again, this means a lot for me to even mention my name,” Dvalishvili said. “That’s up to you guys to say that, if I’m there or not.
“Aljamain Sterling used to beat me, still beats me (in the gym). How many wins do you have Aljo in the UFC? 20-something wins in the UFC. He beat a lot of good guys. He is the GOAT.
“He has a lot of fights in the UFC, lot of wins. He’s been a great champion, and he used to beat my ass, so he’s the best.”
Sterling enjoyed a record-breaking reign after a controversial disqualification against Petr Yan won him the title.
‘Funk Master’ amassed the most consecutive defenses of any champion in the division by defeating Yan in a rematch, as well as TJ Dillashaw and Henry Cejudo.