UFC Vegas 25 results: Merab Dvalishvili uses volume striking game to beat Cody Stamann over three rounds
Merab Dvalishvili continued his climb up the bantamweight rankings with his sixth consecutive victory after earning a unanimous decision at UFC Vegas 25.
The Georgian bantamweight was relentless with his offensive output, constantly landing with better volume as opponent Cody Stamann was attempting to keep up. Over three rounds, Dvalishvili more than doubled up on the total strikes landed as he ultimately got the nod with the scorecards reading 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 in his favor.
“I’m training with champion Aljamain Sterling, he’s coming strong,” Dvalishvili said when asked about his incredible conditioning on Saturday night. “I’m happy. I’m training hard. The win makes me happy against top 15 guys, of course. I show today I have so many more things to show next time.”
Best known for his wrestling, Dvalishvili showed no fear throwing hands with Stamann when the fight got started as he was unleashing some vicious counter strikes. Any time Stamann rushed forward, Dvalishvili answered with rapid-fire punches including a stiff uppercut that was landing consistently.
Stamann answered back with a stiff jab and some takedown attempts of his own that kept Dvalishvili honest during the exchanges on the feet.
That lead jab continued to pay dividends with Stamann still determined to turn to his wrestling while Dvalishvili was quick to scramble free, which meant the grappling was minimal. Even when Dvalishvili fell to his back looking for a guillotine choke, Stamann was able to escape without too much trouble as the bantamweights worked back to the feet.
With the fight staying on the feet the majority of the time, it was Dvalishvili’s volume that was truly impressive as he continued to throw three and four punch combinations and at times Stamann was struggling to keep up.
Dvalishvili was so incredibly active while also showing a lot of confidence in his striking as he was more than willing to stand in front of Stamann while they traded shots. By the time the final horn sounded, Dvalishvili was still throwing crisp punching combinations and looking like he could easily go another three rounds without skipping a beat.
Afterwards, Dvailishvili called for a chance to take a step forward in the division while possibly facing a former bantamweight champion in his next fight.
“I want to be back as soon as possible,” Dvalishvili said. “Top 10, top five, I’m ready for anybody. I deserve somebody big. I deserve a Dominick Cruz or a former champion. I’m hungry.”
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