UFC bantamweght king Merab Dvalishvili put on an incredible performance at UFC 311 and successfully defended his title against Umar Nurmagomedov.
Many in the MMA community took notice of Dvalishvili’s performance and shared their reactions to it.UFC commentator Joe Rogan hailed the encounter as one of the best UFC clashes he has ever witnessed.
Joe Rogan just called Merab Dvalishvili vs Umar Nurmagomedov one of the best fights he's ever seen and he's seen a few. High praise.
— Chamatkar Sandhu (@SandhuMMA) January 19, 2025
Former champion Petr Yan called for a rematch with ‘The Machine’.
“Congratulations ‘The Machine’ Merab Dvalishvili. That was impressive. Can’t wait to run it back with you.”
Congratulations machine @MerabDvalishvil that was impressive. Can’t wait to run it back with you 👊🏼
— Petr “No Mercy” Yan (@PetrYanUFC) January 19, 2025
UFC featherweight champion and Dvalishvili’s friend Ilia Topuria showered words of praise on ‘The Machine’ for his impressive victory.
“Merab, my brother, what a fighter you are! You make us feel so proud. This is what happens when Dagestani wrestling meets Georgian wrestling.”
Former UFC fighter Ben Askren lauded the 34-year-old’s fighting pace in the bantamweight title clash.
“Couldn’t be more impressed with Merab! Holy moly his pace is otherworldly.”
Middleweight champion Dricus du Plessis commended the efforts of both Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov for their highly competitive bout.
“Wow Merab Dvalishvili, take a bow. That was an incredible performance by both fighters.”
Check out a compilation of some of the reactions below:
The co-main event of UFC 311 featured an exciting bantamweight title clash between Umar Nurmagomedov and champion Merab Dvalishvili. The fight took place on January 18 at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
Nurmagomedov walked into the fight undefeated, with an impressive record of 18-0. Dvalishvili, on the other hand, was riding an 11-fight win streak prior to his appearance at UFC 311.
The fight turned out to be a highly entertaining back-and-forth affair. The Dagestani got the better of the champion in the beginning, but Dvalishvili bounced back in the later rounds and outclassed his opponent.
The contest went the 25-minute distance and ended with a unanimous decision victory for ‘The Machine’. The three judges scored the bout 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46 in favor of Dvalishvili.