Deserved? Merab Dvalishvili defeats Islam Makhachev to win UFC Fight of the Year award

Merab Dvalishvili with the belt on UFC 316 (Photo: Instagram)

On Saturday night (12), the UFC saw its bantamweight champion (up to 61,2 kg) climb even higher on the world podium. Merab Dvalishvili won ESPN's coveted Fighter of the Year ESPY Award, recognized for his relentless performance between July 2024 and June 2025.

During the period under review, the Georgian reigned supreme in three title fights. In September, he defeated Sean O'Malley to win the belt on points. In January of this year, he ended his unbeaten streak Umar Nurmagomedov.

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What sealed the victory was the rematch against O'Malley, held at UFC 316 June with a north-south choke in the third round. Merab also earned the Performance of the Night bonus and defended his belt for the second time.

With his achievements, Dvalishvili surpassed names like Dricus du Plessis, Kayla harrison e Islam makhachev, three champions and the organization's main names today.

Now, expectations for his next steps are growing. The Georgian is being considered for a possible rematch against Umar Nurmagomedov or even a new belt defense against Cory Sandhagen. He ranks third in Dana White's company's pound-for-pound rankings.