Back in January at UFC 311, Dvalishvili entered his first title defense against a very promising Nurmagomedov in the co-main event of the pay-per-view card. Dvalishvili had a tough fight in the first couple of rounds, but then went on to dominate and overwhelm Nurmagomedov to win a unanimous decision.

Merab Dvalishvili is garnering comparisons to the unbeaten UFC Hall of Fame star, Khabib Nurmagomedov following his victory overnight.

Dvalishvili, after winning the title at UFC 306 this past September, outworked Umar Nurmagomedov in his first defense in January. Cory Sandhagen, White said, is next in line for a shot at the belt, but also thinks the champ might wind up in another rematch eventually.