UFC champion Merab Dvalishvili has confirmed that he sparred for five rounds on 4 October, just hours before his title defence against Cory Sandhagen.
Dvalishvili outpointed Sandhagen in the main event of UFC 320, recording his third successful bantamweight title defence – and third of the year – and he is already booked to headline UFC 323 in December, against old foe Petr Yan.
Dvalishvili’s impressive activity is not just relative to the year, however.
Khalil Rountree Jr, who also competed at UFC 320 and is – like Dvalishvili – coached by John Wood, suggested after the event that the 135lb champion sparred for five rounds on fight day.
And now Dvalishvili has confirmed that claim, while speaking to journalist Ariel Helwani on Monday.
Helwani said: “You said after the fight, the 25-minute fight against Cory… you said you do that three times a week. And even Khalil said in the back you did five rounds. Is that true? You did five rounds before your five-round fight, on the same day?”
“Yeah, it’s true,” said Dvalishvili, 34. “I did sparring, five rounds – full sparring actually. I was sparring against Cameron Saaiman, my teammate, upcoming UFC fighter. Then there is Artem; I don’t know his last name, I believe he’s Russian. He just moved to Vegas, he was Petr Yan’s training partner as well in Thailand. They’d been sparring.
“I sparred with him, fight day. I [went] three rounds with Artem – the first three rounds – and then after, the last two rounds, I finish[ed] with Cameron.
“Usually, me, Aljo [teammate and former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling], we do what we call the morning shakeout – something like that. It’s a warm-up, like a kind of sparring, drilling, wrestling. Usually we [do that] in a hotel, it depends where is the fight.
“But this time the fight was in Vegas, of course I go to my gym and we have the Octagon there,” continued the Georgian, who lives in Las Vegas, where UFC 320 took place.
“[My sparring partners were] going 100 per cent. No, I don’t [wear head gear]. First round, I believe Artem was wearing head gear […] Next two rounds, he goes with me without head gear.
“Then Cameron was a fresh guy, he came. And after two rounds, he was smoked, he was tired. I beat those two guys! [My coaches] are okay with it, they trust me.”
Dvalishvili will aim to break the record for most successful UFC title defences in one year, as he takes on Yan on 6 December. Dvalishvili, who faced the former champion in 2023 and won on points, has already secured three successful defences in 2025.
The “Machine” outpointed Sean O’Malley to become champion in September 2024, and this year he has outpointed Umar Nurmagomedov in January, submitted O’Malley in an August rematch, and beaten Sandhagen via decision.
Meanwhile. Rountree Jr was not so successful at UFC 320. One fight before Dvalishvili faced Sandhagen, the Georgian’s coach was in Rountree Jr’s corner as he was knocked out by Jiri Prochazka.
