“The Machine” just keeps rolling.
Less than two weeks after defending his Bantamweight title against Cory Sandhagen at UFC 320, Merab Dvalishvili already has his next assignment — and it’s exactly what he wanted.
The reigning 135-pound king will rematch former champion (and rival) Petr Yan in the main event of UFC 322, set for Dec. 7, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nevada. With a win, Dvalishvili (21-4) will etch his name into the record books as the first fighter in UFC history to defend a world title four times
in a single calendar year.
That kind of activity is almost unheard of in modern MMA, where most champions fight once or twice a year — with few exceptions. The last to come close was Alex Pereira, who defended his belt three times in 2024, breaking Ronda Rousey’s previous record for the shortest span between three world title defenses (175 days).
Only seven fighters in UFC history have managed three successful defenses in one year:
- Frank Shamrock: UFC 16, UFC 17, UFC Brazil – 1998
- Tito Ortiz: UFC 30, UFC 32, UFC 33 – 2001
- Matt Hughes: UFC 36, UFC 38, UFC 40 – 2002
- Chuck Liddell: UFC 57, UFC 62, UFC 67 – 2006
- Demetrius Johnson: UFC Fight Night: Johnson vs Dodson, UFC Fight Night: Johnson vs Moraga, UFC Fight Night: Johnson vs Benavidez – 2013
- Kamaru Usman: UFC 258, UFC 261, UFC 268 – 2021
- Alex Pereira: UFC 300, UFc 303, UFC 307 – 2024
It’s worth noting that both Ortiz and Jon Jones are the only fighters to have successfully defended their belts four times within a 12-month span, though not within a single calendar year — a mark Dvalishvili could surpass.
“The Machine” is riding a 14-fight win streak and is on the verge of rewriting more UFC history. He already holds records for:
- Most takedowns landed in UFC history (117)
- First and only fighter with over 100 takedowns
- Most unanimous decision wins (12)
- Most takedowns in a UFC title fight (20)
- Tied for the longest win streak in UFC history (14) — only two away from Anderson Silva’s 16.
If he gets past Yan again in December, Dvalishvili won’t just make history — he’ll cement his case as one of the most dominant champions the UFC has ever seen.
