There’s extra to Merab Dvalishvili’s recreation than simply takedowns

Merab Dvalishvili is among the maximum dominant wrestlers in MMA. He holds the UFC list for many takedowns landed with 92 in 14 fights. Colby Covington, a former faculty wrestler, is the following closest amongst lively warring parties with 70 takedowns landed, 7th maximum within the promotion’s historical past. Covington has 3 extra fights within the UFC than Dvalishvili.

In 9 UFC fights that experience long past a complete 3 rounds, Dvalishvili has averaged 15.6 takedown makes an attempt. In 3 occupation five-round bouts, that takedown reasonable doubles to 31.3 makes an attempt. By comparability, Georges St-Pierre, the fighter with the second-most takedowns landed at 90, averaged 7.8 makes an attempt in 12 UFC fights that went the space.

At first look, Dvalishvili’s outlandish takedown statistics would possibly counsel that the UFC males’s bantamweight champion has just one technique — combat warring parties all the way down to the mat and stay them preventing off their backs — however there may be a lot more to the 34-year-old’s method.

It’s true that Dvalishvili leans on his sturdy wrestling background, however a hollow in his wrestling-heavy preventing taste has required him to mix in different spaces of his recreation to stick atop the UFC’s maximum gifted department.

Here’s a take a look at the 3 deceiving statistics to lend a hand put The Machine’s higher repute and dominant championship run into standpoint.

58.2% takedown accuracy

Dvalishvili’s takedowns list — one that may most effective develop as he continues preventing — is well known, however what is not mentioned is his 158 unsuccessful takedown makes an attempt. That 58.2% takedown accuracy proportion does now not rank within the most sensible 10 in UFC historical past, however a controversy will also be made that his ignored makes an attempt are the motive force in the back of his wrestling-heavy preventing taste.

For any fighter to land as many takedowns as Dvalishvili has, warring parties should stay getting up after being put at the mat. Getting up forces warring parties to protect the inevitable: extra takedown makes an attempt. And protecting takedowns depletes power. So consider how exhausted warring parties should really feel when going through a fighter who averages just about six a hit takedowns according to combat.

Former champion Petr Yan is aware of higher than someone how tricky it may be to fend off Dvalishvili within the Octagon. Yan used to be at the incorrect finish of a record-setting 11 takedowns landed through Dvalishvili throughout their bout in March 2023. Dvalishvili’s 49 tried takedowns throughout that five-round combat used to be additionally a UFC list.

In the combat ahead of that, Dvalishvili tried to take José Aldo to the mat 16 instances however did not land a unmarried one. He nonetheless received all 3 rounds.

2,202 overall moves landed

What will get misplaced in all the dialogue about Dvalishvili’s wrestling and grappling talent is that his 2,202 overall moves landed lead the bantamweight department, in line with UFC Stats.

Opponents persistently managing to paintings again to their ft permits the MMA champion to dip into his novice Golden Gloves boxing roots. Whether warring parties go away themselves open for moves whilst protecting takedown makes an attempt or Dvalishvili units up wrestling alternatives through touchdown moves, his mixture of quantity placing and incessant wrestling has given each and every of his previous 12 warring parties suits.

Against Yan, all 3 judges scored each and every around in their five-round combat in prefer of Dvalishvili. He additionally earned blank sweeps at the pass judgement on’s scorecards in opposition to John Dodson, Gustavo Lopez, Brad Katona and Terrion Ware throughout his 12-fight successful streak.

8.3% end price

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The key to Dvalishvili main his department in each takedowns and moves landed is his aerobic. The Georgian almost certainly enters the Octagon anticipating each and every of his fights to move bell to bell, making an allowance for considered one of his 12 UFC wins has come by the use of end (8.3% price).

Dvalishvili’s talent to pull warring parties into deep waters within the past due rounds through regularly urgent ahead with moves and capturing for takedowns most effective highlights his staying power. When an opponent’s power and can to combat start to fade, that is when Dvalishvili seems to entertain the group.

We noticed examples of this showmanship in his most up-to-date fights in opposition to Sean O’Malley and Umar Nurmagomedov. After scoring two takedowns in Round 1, Dvalishvili put O’Malley at the mat once more in the second one around and paradoxically kissed O’Malley’s again. A couple of days later he posted on social media that did it to “show him who the daddy was of the fight.” And in his name protection as opposed to Nurmagomedov, Dvalishvili taunted the challenger more than one instances right through the combat.

Despite the well known disdain MMA enthusiasts have for warring parties who regularly win through resolution, Dvalishvili’s distinctive mix of tempo, quantity placing, takedowns and showmanship has allowed him to wreck thru and turn into a fan favourite — even with 11 of his 12 wins within the Octagon coming by the use of unanimous resolution.