Merab Dvalishvili

Merab Dvalishvili
Dvalishvili in 2025
Born (1991-01-10) January 10, 1991
Vani, Georgian SSR, Soviet Union
Native nameმერაბ დვალიშვილი
Other namesThe Machine
Citizenship
  • Georgia
  • United States (since 2024)
Height5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Weight135 lb (61 kg; 9 st 9 lb)
DivisionBantamweight (2014–present)
Featherweight (2016)
Reach68 in (173 cm)
StyleCombat sambo
Fighting out ofLong Island, New York, U.S.
TeamSerra-Longo Fight Team (2013–present)
TrainerRay Longo and Matt Serra
RankBlack belt in Judo
Purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Matt Serra
Years active2014–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total26
Wins21
By knockout3
By submission2
By decision16
Losses5
By submission1
By decision4
Other information
Websiteofficialmerabdvalishvili.com
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog
Medal record
Representing  Georgia
Men’s combat sambo
World Championships
Silver medal – second place2019 Cheongju68 kg
US Open Sambo Championships
Gold medal – first place2024 Denton64 kg
Freestyle wrestling record
Total1
Wins1
Losses0
YouTube information
Channel
Subscribers142 thousand
Views18.3 million
Last updated: January 16, 2026

Merab Dvalishvili (Georgian: მერაბ დვალიშვილი [ˈmerab ˈdʷaliʃʷili]; born January 10, 1991) is a Georgian and American professional mixed martial artist and sambo practitioner. He currently competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is the former UFC Bantamweight Champion. Dvalishvili is considered one of the greatest Bantamweights of all time. He is also the first Georgian-born champion in UFC history. As of May 12, 2026, he is #1 in the Meta UFC bantamweight rankings, and as of July 14, 2026, he is #8 in the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings.

Dvalishvili's UFC career began with two losses against Frankie Saenz and Ricky Simón. After that, he had a 14-fight win streak—the fourth longest in UFC history—defeating former champions, including José Aldo, Petr Yan, Henry Cejudo and Sean O'Malley. His 119 successful takedowns are the most in UFC history; he is also third all-time in total strikes landed.