Merab Dvalishvili proved the doubters wrong and successfully defended his UFC bantamweight championship with a unanimous decision win over Umar

Dvalishvili will also need to be mindful inside of scrambles given his propensity to expose his back when returning to standing positions. As Nurmagomedov has already shown in the octagon, the Dagestani fighter is incredibly systematic and effective when it comes to breaking down his opponents from rear mount and riding positions.

Umar Nurmagomedov was the perfect fighter in the early rounds against UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili. While fatigue did not make a coward of Nurmagomedov, it certainly caused his downfall at UFC 311 on Saturday as Dvalishvili outpointed his foe en route to a unanimous decision win (48-47, 48-47, 49-46) to retain the bantamweight title.