An exciting matchup between bantamweight contenders Marlon Moraes and Merab Dvalishvili has been added to the UFC 266 pay-per-view card.
Ray Longo, Dvalishvili’s coach, broke the news on the Anik & Florian podcast that Moraes vs. Dvalishvili is going to take place this fall. The bout has been targeted to take place at UFC 266, which is set for September 25 at a location that has yet to be determined. The fight between Moraes vs. Dvalishvili features two of the top-10 ranked UFC bantamweights.
Moraes (23-8-1) is the No. 6 ranked bantamweight in the UFC. The 33-year-old Brazilian is 5-4 overall in the UFC and he is currently riding a two-fight losing skid with losses to Rob Font and Cory Sandhagen by knockout. The last win that Moraes had came back at UFC 245 when he won a split decision over Jose Aldo that was hotly debated. Although Moraes does have a win over current UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling by knockout, that fight took place all the way back in 2017, and at this point, Moraes doesn’t seem to be on the same level as he was a few years ago when he was closing in on the title, but he is still a top-ranked fighter.
Dvalishvili (13-4) is the No. 10 ranked bantamweight in the UFC. The 30-year-old Georgia native is 6-2 overall in the UFC and he is currently riding a six-fight win streak with victories over Cody Stamann, John Dodson, and Casey Kenney among his wins. His only two losses in the UFC came against Ricky Simon and Frankie Saenz in a controversial fashion. Should Dvalishvili get by Moraes at UFC 266, it should be assumed that he will be in line to fight someone in the top-five and move one step closer to another title shot.
