Merab Dvalishvili breaks Georges St-Pierre record in stunning victory at UFC 311 over Umar Nurmagomedov
Merab Dvalishvili broke Georges St-Pierre's record for the most takedowns in UFC history during his victory at UFC 311.
Dvalishvili now has 91 takedowns in the UFC, surpassing St-Pierre's previous record of 90.
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St-Pierre was one of the most dominant UFC fighters of all time, having won 13 title fights during his 13-year career in Dana White's promotion.
However, after an incredible five rounds, Dvalishvili is now the new record holder and still the UFC bantamweight champion.
All three judges scored the contest 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 in favour of the Georgian native, who was awarded the unanimous decision victory.
Nurmagomedov landed more damaging strikes during the five-round bantamweight classic, but the champion clearly had more control.
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After the bout UFC commentator Joe Rogan said: "It felt like we were watching the best bantamweights in the world...of all time.
"That was highest level bantamweight fight I have ever watched."
He then told Dvalishvili in his post-fight octagon interview: "That was one of the best fights I have ever seen in my life."
Dvalishvili responded: "It means a lot from you Joe Rogan," before revealing he had an infection in his leg and hurt his lower back in the buildup to the fight.
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Dvalishvili is now joint fifth for the most wins in bantamweight history with 11.
Ahead of the co-main event clash, Rogan called Dvalishvili vs Nurmagomedov the ‘most compelling fight in the history of the bantamweight division,’ and it certainly lived up to that standard.
UFC 311 main card results
UFC 311 was the promotion's first pay-per-view event of 2025
- Islam Makhachev defeated Renato Moicano via submission (D’arce choke) – Round 1
- Merab Dvalishvili def. Umar Nurmagomedov via unanimous decision
- Jiri Prochazka def. Jamahal Hill via TKO (strikes) – Round 3
- Jailton Almeida def. Serghei Spivac via TKO (punches) – Round 1
- Reinier de Ridder def. Kevin Holland via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1
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Both men came out swinging in round one and looked filled to the brim with energy as they traded blows.
Nurmagomedov, after wobbling Dvalishvili with a right hand, attempted a takedown just over the halfway point, but wasn’t able to pull it off as the Georgian showed great defence.
“This is such a high level fight,” Rogan said, as the first round came to a conclusion in what turned out to be an enthralling start to the co-main event.
In round two, weapons were coming from all angles at lightning speed, as both men continued to embark in chaos.
Nurmagomedov was the first to land a takedown halfway through the second round, and defended well to prevent Dvalishvili successfully landing any of his own.
Dvalishvili landed a solid right hand in round three as he attempted to do what many expected him to: take Nurmagomedov into deep waters.
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In the final two minutes, Dvalishvili landed a takedown and made no advantage of it, but clearly showed those in attendance at the Intuit Dome how energetic he still was.
Dvalishvili then showed incredible signs of strength right before we entered the championship rounds, as he smiled at the crowd while preventing multiple takedown attempts from Russian counterpart.
Dvalishvili’s corner told him Nurmagomedov wasn’t enjoying the pace, and the former certainly didn’t slow down in the final two rounds.
Nurmagomedov looked visibly fatigued in the fourth round, while his opponent displayed signs of the complete opposite.
As the clock ticked on, Dvalishvili incredibly turned the pace up and the crowd erupted as he took control on the ground in the final seconds of round four.
Dvalishvili, unsurprisingly, kept on the front foot in the fifth and final round as he looked to catch Nurmagomedov, who was growing in exhaustion towards the end of the fight.
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Dvalishvili has successfully defended 22 takedowns in the final round from Nurmagomedov, who has now lost his undefeated professional MMA record.
Ahead of UFC 311, Dvalishvili exclusively told marvelbet369.com that he would welcome a rematch with former bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley, and that now looks to be a real prospect.
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