Fourth Title Fight in One Year: Can 34-Year-Old Champion Pull it Off?
Merab Dvalishvili has been on an absolute tear this past year in the UFC, and he is looking to continue his dominance and make history. The fierce bantamweight is ready to complete what the UFC has never seen and defend his title for a fourth time within only one calendar year. Merab secured the title back in September of 2024 against Sean O’Malley at UFC 306, along with two title defenses so far in 2025. The first was his victory against Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311, and the second being a rematch against Sean O’Malley at UFC 316, in which Merab remained the champion. Merab is scheduled to fight Cory Sandhagen on October 4th for his fourth title defense in just over one year. This is a task the UFC has never seen before, making the end of 2025 a historical run for the young fighter.
For the UFC, this is a rare occurrence as many fighters will defend their title an average of two times annually. Islam Makhachev has defended his title four consecutive times, but this was done over multiple years. Jose Aldo also defended his title numerous times between 2011 and 2012, but never four times within one year. For Merab to complete this great feat would be unheard of for the UFC. This will be extremely challenging, but Merab can pull it off. Merab has incredible cardio and an unmatched level of stamina. He also has a lot of confidence in the ring with all the momentum on his side. While fighting this often can be a heavy toll on his body, Merab stays at his peak physical fitness, prepared for any fight.
If anyone can pull this off —four title defenses in a year —it would be Merab. He is a fierce competitor who is on track to make UFC history. Merab just needs to stay injury-free and stick to his game plan against Cory Sandhagen. A victory against Sandhagen would set up Merab for a fifth title defense, where he could face Petr Yan or rematch Umar Nurmagomedov, who is also fighting at the October 4th card. Merab is set up for an incredibly interesting remainder of 2025.
