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LAS VEGAS – UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili has grown on Dana White.
Upon entering the UFC, Dvalishvili (21-4 MMA, 14-2 UFC) didn’t have the most fan-friendly fighting style, where he scored stifling wins over the likes of Jose Aldo and Petr Yan with his wrestling. His refusal to fight good friend and then-champ Aljamain Sterling for the title also rubbed White the wrong way.
However, Dvalishvili’s dominance has been undeniable. He handed Umar Nurmagomedov his first-career loss at UFC 311, submitted Sean O’Malley at UFC 316, then outworked Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320 – and he’s not done yet.
Dvalishvili is chasing history as he looks to become the first fighter in company history to notch four title defenses in a year when he rematches Yan (19-5 MMA, 11-4 UFC) in the UFC 323 headliner Dec. 6 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
“I love it,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters Tuesday after Dana White’s Contender Series 86. “Listen, it took me a minute to warm up to Merab, but I’m very warm now. I love that mentality. He wants to be the first guy to ever to defend his title that many times in a year. If you look at what he’s gone out and done, how he’s proven himself as a fighter and as a world champion, it’s impressive.”
Also competing at UFC 323 is Henry Cejudo (16-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC), who could be looking at his retirement fight against rising star Payton Talbott (10-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC). White was asked about the thought process behind this matchup.
“Fun fight,” White responded. “We think it’s a fun fight. When you have a young, up-and-coming guy like Talbott, you want to put him in against a hardcore vet like him (Cejudo). So yeah, love that fight.”
