Henry Cejudo is in awe of Merab Dvalishvili. Now, Cejudo is not someone who will be willing to give up significant titles to other fellow fighters without solid reasons. Afterall, he is an Olympic gold medalist and a two division UFC champion. But after watching Dvalishvili dominate Umar Nurmagomedov, he is willing to bow down to the Georgian.
Going up in his first title defense, he faced the undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov. And despite getting pegged back initially, ‘The Machine’ fought back brilliantly to secure a victory. Awestruck at Dvalishvili’s performance, Henry Cejudo hailed him as the UFC bantamweight GOAT.
“Yan, O’Malley, Cejudo, Umar, Moraes, Aldo. I mean, he’s fought everybody…He’s beat everybody in this division, you could say, in their prime. You just can, man. Merab is the bantamweight GOAT – at least in my eyes,” said Cejudo in an episode of his ‘Pound For Pound’ podcast.
Surely, this victory marked Dvalishvili’s 12th straight victory. Meanwhile, throughout the bout, one thing that stood out was the Georgian’s cardio. And surely enough, his coach already shed some light on the same.
Merab Dvalishvili’s Coach Spoke Of Getting Him Ready For 12 Rounds
Merab Dvalishvili impressed everyone with his incredible cardio. As the rounds progressed, Umar Nurmagomedov started to look visibly tired. However, on the other hand, the champion showed no signs of fatigue. While this surprised many, the secret might lie in his training regime.
According to his coach John Wood, Dvalishvili has been training for 12 rounds straight ahead of UFC 311. “I’ve got him up to 12 rounds. The crazy thing is that when you get into those high rounds. he just keeps getting better. I don’t know where it comes from, but the dude does not get tired,” said Wood during a recent interaction with Ariel Helwani.
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John Wood talks Merab Dvalishvili's 10-round sparring sessions ahead of UFC 311 😳
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) January 14, 2025
"I've got him up to 12 rounds. The crazy thing is that when you get into those high rounds he just keeps getting better. I don't know where it comes from, but the dude does not get tired." pic.twitter.com/KJTVkCfzK4
Thus, with all the praises coming in, it remains to be seen how Merab Dvalishvili can take things up a notch in future.
Also Read: First Look At Custom Shorts Of Islam Makhachev And Merab Dvalishvili Ahead Of UFC 311
