Merab Dvalishvili reacts after a decision victory against Umar NurmagomedovJeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
For one fleeting moment in the first round of Saturday night’s UFC 311 main event, it looked like we might witness one of the greatest upsets in MMA history.
Lightweight champ Islam Makhachev, who is considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the business at present, was suddenly on his butt, and Renato Moicano, who stepped in to fight the champion on just one day’s notice, seemed to have put him there—at least, to those of us without the benefit of instant replay.
As it turns out, things weren’t quite as they seemed.
A moment later, the UFC commentators were clarifying that Makhachev had slipped and not been knocked down, and soon after that, the champ was doing what he does best—tapping his challenger out with a D’arce choke.
“I always looking for finish,” the Russian juggernaut told commentator Joe Rogan after his first-round submission win. “I not just talk.”
The victory marked the end of a chaotic 24-hour saga for Makhachev. As of Thursday evening, he was set for a Saturday-night rematch with surging No. 1 contender Arman Tsarukyan. By Friday night, Tsarukyan was out of the fight with a back injury, and the champ’s focus was locked on Moicano, who had originally been set to fight fellow lightweight contender Beneil Dariush on the main card.
“For me, no matter,” Makhachev said when asked about the last-minute shake-up. “Who can make 155 [pounds]? Just step into the cage and stay in front of me.”
Islam Makhachev secures a submission against Renato MoicanoJeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
You’re going to encounter people who try to downplay Makhachev’s win over Moicano. Don’t listen to them! Yes, Moicano took the fight on short notice, but so did Makhachev, and the Brazilian is a tough fight under any circumstances. Heading into UFC 311, the longtime BJJ black belt was riding four-straight wins over high-level opposition and had proven he could finish pretty much anybody on the feet or on the mat.
Yet Makhachev cut through him like a chainsaw through butter, and he made history in the process. After two wins over Alexander Volkanovski, a defeat of Dustin Poirier, and now his win over Moicano, he holds the record for most title defenses in lightweight history, scooting past his coach Khabib Nurmagomedov and former two-division champ BJ Penn.
That just about seals his future induction into the UFC Hall of Fame.
Despite all the drama and history-making attached to Makhachev’s short-notice beatdown of Moicano, however, he is probably not going to be the fighter most fans are talking about at the water cooler on Monday morning. No, that distinction will most likely go to bantamweight champ Merab Dvalishvili.
Georgia’s Dvalishvili returned to action in the UFC 311 co-main event, for a title defense opposite the unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov—a friend and training partner of Makhachev, and cousin of the great Khabib. Heading into the fight, Nurmagomedov had built up so much momentum that he entered the cage as a hefty betting favorite, and in Rounds 1 and 2, it looked like he would prove the oddsmakers right, as he tagged the champ with some hard shots and denied any early takedown attempts. After those tough opening rounds, however, Dvalishvili began to crank up the pressure, mixing relentless takedown attempts with the kind of power punches we seldom see from him in the Octagon.
By the time the fifth round was over, the seemingly unbeatable favorite Nurmagomedov was visibly exhausted, and Dvalishvili deserved the victory. Thankfully, all three judges got it right and scored it for the champ.
“You guys know,” Dvalishvili told Rogan after his win. “You know I’m training all the time. I am ‘The Machine.’
“Umar is a tough fighter and he’s good, but he called me old,” he added. “The whole world was against me… I don’t give a [expletive]. I believe in my hard work… I believe in myself.”
The win over Nurmagomedov marked Dvalishvili’s first defense of the bantamweight title, so he’s still got a long way to go before he’s in the same conversation as Makhachev in terms of championship legacy. However, it was arguably the most impressive performance of his career, against arguably his toughest opponent to date, and his win streak is definitely nothing to smirk at. It easily rivals Makhachev’s.
After losing his first two fights in the Octagon, Dvalishvili is now on a 12-fight streak, including recent triumphs over a jaw-dropping list of former champs and title challengers in Marlon Moraes, Jose Aldo, Petr Yan, Henry Cejudo, Sean O’Malley, and now Nurmagomedov. That is truly the stuff of legend.
Sure, his fighting style isn’t always pretty. Against Yan, for example, he attempted an absurd 49 takedowns and landed just 11, which didn’t exactly endear him with fans. Yet if the crowd’s reaction to his performance at UFC 311 was an indication, people are starting to appreciate his relentless style. His mid-fight showboating helped win them over, but there is no question that by the time his fight was over, nearly everybody watching his fight was prepared to put some respect on his name.
About time.
