UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili reportedly engaged in five full rounds of live sparring just hours before his title defense at UFC 320.
According to Khalil Rountree, who shared this information on the JAXXON Podcast, Dvalishvili’s preparation defied conventional pre-fight protocols.
“I promise you this is a 100% true story. At 12pm in the afternoon on Saturday—Merab sparred 5 rounds in the cage live on the day of his fight,” Rountree stated. “That’s just who he is.”
What makes this account particularly remarkable is that Dvalishvili wasn’t merely going through light movement drills. He was engaging in full-contact sparring approximately eight hours before competing in the biggest matches of his professional career.
“Five full live rounds at 12 o’clock, not even half a day before he has to be in the arena to put on the biggest fight of his career,” Rountree continued. “That’s just him. You cannot make it up.”
This unorthodox approach stands in stark contrast to typical pre-bout routines. Most competitors spend fight day conserving energy, mentally preparing, or at most engaging in light cardio activity.
“Most guys will sit in the hotel room or try to collect their thoughts or do whatever, you know, maybe even get like a bike ride in on the assault bike to kind of burn some energy,” Rountree explained. “I’ve never in my life seen somebody spar five full rounds the day that they have to fight and go do another five full rounds with Cody Sandhagen.”
Surprisingly, this isn’t an isolated incident for the Georgian fighter. Jordan Leavitt previously revealed similar behavior before Dvalishvili’s championship victory over Sean O’Malley. According to Leavitt, Dvalishvili sparred six rounds the morning of that fight and an additional four rounds backstage. He did a total of ten rounds of live sparring before even stepping into the octagon.
“Us at Syndicate get to see a lot more of Merab’s work ethic,” Leavitt noted in a separate interview with Helen Yee. When asked about Dvalishvili’s endurance capacity, Leavitt estimated the champion could potentially maintain a “real fight pace” for nine rounds.
Dvalishvili’s extraordinary cardio and relentless pressure have become his trademark inside the octagon.
