After UFC 320, the pressing question of how to stop the dominant Merab Dvalishvili has become a focal point of discussion in the MMA world. At the recent UFC 320 event, Dvalishvili successfully defended his bantamweight title for the third time, overpowering Cory Sandhagen in the co-main event. This victory places him just one defense shy of breaking his teammate Aljamain Sterling`s record for consecutive title retentions.
Among the contenders eager to challenge and potentially halt “The Machine`s” impressive reign is former two-time flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo, who harbors ambitions of achieving multi-weight glory on the sport’s biggest stage.
Deiveson Figueiredo Explains His Strategy to Defeat Merab Dvalishvili
Following Dvalishvili`s submission victory over Sean O`Malley at UFC 316 last June, prominent commentator Joe Rogan famously questioned the feasibility of dethroning the formidable Georgian champion.
“What do you do?” Rogan asked about beating Dvalishvili. “You’re going to get tired. If you’re not that guy… everybody gets tired but him. It’s nuts. I know he says it’s just hard work, but is it really? It is, but what level of hard work? How many hours? The question is: is there a gameplan that would even work?”
Deiveson Figueiredo recently offered his perspective on this challenge during an interview with MMA Fighting, ahead of his own return at the UFC Rio co-headliner. Having secured a victory over Montel Jackson, “Deus da Guerra” is now intent on requesting a shot at Dvalishvili, believing he possesses the key to finally defeating “The Machine.”
“I’ll definitely ask for a title shot — especially because, among the big names in the division, I’m the only one who hasn’t fought Merab yet,” Figueiredo stated. “I hope I get that opportunity. If I go in there and deliver a great performance, that could get me a title shot. That’s what I’m after.”
“The key (to beating Dvalishvili) is not being timid,” he continued. “Be yourself and make him back up, you know? Make him feel it, make him realize that on the other side there’s also someone who can hurt him.”
Deiveson Figueiredo Faces Competition for the Next Shot at Merab Dvalishvili
Figueiredo is not alone in his ambition; several other prominent bantamweights are also confident in their claims for the next title opportunity. After his latest triumph at UFC 320, Dvalishvili himself mentioned Petr Yan, and the Russian fighter has expressed a keen interest in a rematch with the Georgian following their disappointing 2023 main event encounter.
Additionally, Mario Bautista insists he should be next in line if he successfully navigates his upcoming bout against Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 321.
“I think it has to,” Bautista commented on MMA Junkie Radio when queried about his title aspirations. “If you look at it, it’s gonna be nine straight wins. Getting this win and my last three performances — (Jose) Aldo, Patchy (Mix), and then Umar — nine-fight winning streak, I don’t know what else you could possibly do. I think that’s exactly what Merab had,” he added. “He had to really fight for that title shot. Hopefully he sees that and gives me that same kind of grace and we’ll figure something out.”
