Jon Anik sees Merab Dvalishvili as beyond just the greatest bantamweight of all time.
Dvalishvili (21-4 MMA, 14-2 UFC) notched his third title defense of the year when he defeated Cory Sandhagen in an overwhelming performance at UFC 320. “The Machine” has put together an undeniable resume which includes wins over former champions like Jose Aldo and Henry Cejudo, as well as contenders in their prime like Umar Nurmagomedov, Petr Yan and Sean O’Malley.
The UFC’s lead play-by-play commentator thinks it’s time Dvalishvili’s name is considered in the greatest of all time conversation.
“Merab Dvalishvili, it is amazing what this man has accomplished,” Anik said on his “Anik & Florian Podcast.” “Amazing all the people who were suggesting to me that there was a time where he wasn’t the greatest bantamweight of all time. This man is carving out Mount Rushmore-type space.”
Sandhagen looked sharp on the feet to start, but Dvalishvili surprised him with his striking when he had him badly hurt in Round 2. From then on, it was a takedown clinic for Dvalishvili, who ended up securing 20.
“I think he looked great in the first round, even after he was almost knocked out, he came back,” Dvalishvili’s coach Ray Longo said of Sandhagen. “It was a nice, competitive fight. The other guy is just relentless and doesn’t stop.
“He’s starting to mix it up more and he’s got more threats, which is really scary for everybody else he’s going to fight because the more he gets confident, and doing different things, it’s just going to get worse and worse. He might be having the most fun in that octagon out of any person we’ve ever seen fight in there. I think that’s the key to me.”
Dvalishvili’s energy didn’t run out after the fight which Longo finds fascinating.
“Congrats to Merab. He’s a machine, and he’s earned every letter of that nickname,” Longo said. “I don’t even know. Even looking at him at the after-fight party at 6 in the morning, the guy’s jumping around like a lunatic. Then he’s at (Aljamain Sterling’s) wedding (the next day). He told me he slept an hour.”
