Merab Dvalishvili may have (finally) won his most difficult battle to date — securing the approval of UFC CEO, Dana White.
White would routinely bury the reigning UFC bantamweight champion for acting “next-level stupid” and even suggested UFC was “not the place” for “The Machine,” who prioritized his loyalty to teammates over his desire to secure a world title.
Looks like four title defenses in one calendar year
was enough to win White over.“Listen, it took me a minute to warm up to Merab,” White told
reporters at the “Contender Series” media scrum on Tuesday night. “I’m very warm now. I love that mentality.”
“He wants to be the first guy to defend his title that many times in a year,” White added. “If you look at what he’s gone out there and done, and how he’s proven himself as a fighter, and as a world champion, it’s impressive.”
So is this record-breaking achievement.
Dvalishvili (21-4) has now won 14 straight fights, which leaves him in fourth place for the all-time record. “The Machine” can pull even with former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva at 16 with just two more wins; however, he’s currently trailing former lightweight kingpin, Islam Makhachev, tied with Kamaru Usman at 15.
But if Makhachev falls at UFC 322 in New York, that’s one less hurdle to clear.
