Scouting Report: Merab Dvalishvili

Merab Dvalishvili

Born: Jan. 10, 1991 (Age: 32) in Tbilisi, Georgia
Division: Bantamweight
Height: 5’6”
Reach: 68”
Record: 15-4 (8-2 UFC)
Association: Serra-Longo Fight Team
Stage of Career: Prime

Summary: Dvalishvili’s style is seemingly simple yet devilishly difficult to overcome. He has what appears to be endless cardio, moving with lightning speed around the cage on his feet while being able to fight at a lunatic pace for 15 minutes straight. On top of this, he has superb wrestling, including one of the best blast double-legs in all of MMA, as he times his shots perfectly. He is also a terror in the clinch, using his insane strength and technique to pummel opponents, grind them down and eventually get them to the floor. Once on top, his ground-and-pound may not be overwhelming, but he scores plenty of points with a steady diet of meaningful punches. Opponents can get up, but Dvalishvili has no problem taking them back down. Exploiting him in the standup is not easy, either. He is a decent kickboxer with genuine power in his right hand, moves very well on his feet, is tough to hit and makes smart decisions that lessen opportunities for those trying to hit him, timing his level changes and clinches beautifully. The one time he was hit hard and badly hurt, against Marlon Moraes, his chin and recuperative powers were good enough to survive.

STRIKING

• Stance: Orthodox.
• Hand Speed: Average.
• Jab: Fairly technical and straight, though a little telegraphed at times.
• Cross: Houses genuine power.
• Left Hook: It has a solid arc but is telegraphed and lacks power.
• Overhand Right: Can be a little wild and reckless, but it is dangerous if it connects.
• Uppercuts: Rarely throws them.
• Solitary Striker or Volume Puncher: Depends on the opponent. Against dangerous strikers like Moraes, John Dodson and Jose Aldo, he was likely to only throw a strike at a time to limit the possibility of counters, but against other opponents, he will throw two or three strikes at a time.
• Favorite Combination(s): The one-two, which is decent but not especially harmonious.
• Leg Kicks: Fast and accurate, but they lack a degree of power.
• Body Kicks: Feature similar properties to his leg kicks.
• Head Kicks: Shows nice flexibility and power, but they are often predictable and lack set-ups.
• Chains Kicks to Punches: No.

Dvalishvili is a solid striker. He is energetic with his movement and bounces around constantly. He is fast on his feet and moves well laterally. His boxing is not bad but only his right hand, which possesses some power, causes true concern for opponents. Similarly, his kicks are average; they score points but are not a major weapon. On the flipside, he has excellent defense thanks to his movement and activity, with only Moraes catching and hurting Dvalishvili badly in the standup.

CLINCH

• Physical Strength: A tremendously stout individual who can overpower and wear down almost anyone in close range, even large bantamweights like Moraes, Aldo and Cody Stamann.
• Technique: Picture-perfect most of the time, as he is able to seamlessly transition from one position to another.
• Knees: Solid, technical shots thrown to the body at a well-above-average rate of fire.
• Elbows: Rarely throws them.
• Defense Against Knees/Elbows: Gives the opponent little room with which to operate and is energetic and threatening with his own takedowns in the clinch.

Dvalishvili is a monster in the clinch, using superlative physical strength and technique to keep opponents there for as long as he wishes, frequently attaining the takedown. If not, he can score points with solid knees to the body while giving opponents little opportunity for their own offense.

GRAPPLING

• Wrestling from a Shot: Features a ridiculously fast, sudden and powerful blast double- or single-leg that has taken down opponents again and again.
• Wrestling in the Clinch: Able to grind opponents down with his strength and technique.
• Takedown Defense: Exception. The only opportunity for opponents comes when Dvalishvili is off-balance from throwing some of his wilder strikes.
• Ability to Return to Feet: Explodes back up with ease through hip escapes or textbook wall walks.
• Submissions: Rarely utilizes them. He has successfully executed only one of them in his career, and it was against a weak opponent long before he joined the UFC.
• Defense/Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from the Bottom: Dvalishvili has never found himself on the bottom for long, especially in recent memory.
• Top Control: Constantly pushes into his opponents and pressures them, but he does not control the wrists or hips as well as he could, necessitating multiple takedowns.
• Ground-and-Pound: Leans on an energetic diet of solid punches and the occasional elbow.

Dvalishvili’s main weapon is his outstanding wrestling. He has one of the best double-leg shots in all of MMA, which is astonishingly fast and sudden; he times it beautifully. Of course, he can also score on single-legs and is a beast in the clinch thanks to his mix of strength and technique. Once on top, he pushes into his opponents well and stays in a dominant position energetically, but he is not the best at controlling their hips and wrists, which allows them to get back up. While Dvalishvili has no problems taking them down again and again, this does reduce the amount of damage he can inflict. Speaking of which, he largely ignores submissions in favor of his ground-and-pound, which was punishing enough to finish a tired Moraes. It is hard to imagine anyone taking advantage of Dvalishvili in the grappling department. While he can occasionally be off-balance from his strikes, allowing for the possibility of being taken down, he is almost impossible to keep there.

INTANGIBLES

• Athleticism/General Physical Strength: Dvalishvili is tremendously mobile and fast with his movement around the cage, along with being dynamic and insanely powerful.
• Cardio: Fights at a breakneck pace for 15 straight minutes and never slows down for a moment. Includes being able to wrestle for that entire duration.
• Chin: Weathered some solid shots and was only badly hurt against Moraes from some huge, flush connections. Even so, the Brazilian could not finish him.
• Recuperative Powers: Managed to withstand the storm against Moraes, though the success of his panic wrestling deserves as much credit as his ability to recover.
• Intelligence: Knows exactly when to transition from wrestling and does a marvelous job of minimizing opponents’ opportunities to strike effectively. He has perfected his style from fight to fight.