Midnight Mania: 'The Machine' Gets Rolling, Demands Insane 2025 Schedule

12/31/2024 12:00 AM

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Merab Dvalishvili's first couple months as champion were a little rough.

Not long after dominating Sean O'Malley at UFC 306 to win his 11th straight fight and the UFC Bantamweight title, the narrative shifted against "The Machine." Umar Nurmagomedov was widely considered next-in-line for a title shot, and when Dvalishvili didn't agree, he was immediately labeled scared and ducking. The feud grew more personal quickly, and the end result is that Dvalishvili vs. Nurmagomedov is booked for UFC 311 on January 18.

That's a four month turnaround from his title win, a totally reasonable timeline for a 33-year-old UFC champion. Clearly, Dvalishvili isn't that scared even if it wasn't his first choice for a title defense. After all the drama, Dvalishvili's next goal is activity, and in classic "Machine" fashion, he's aiming for an extremely over-the-top schedule.

"I want to win this fight and I want to be busy in 2025," Dvalishvili explained in a UFC Interview (via MMAJunkie). "I'm fighting early this year, Jan. 18, and I just want to be busy. I know (Sean) O'Malley wants to come back in April. I think Petr (Yan) will be ready in March. So maybe fight Petr in March, rematch (O'Malley) in April, and whoever will be the next contender (after that), I will take. I will clean the division again."

Dvalishvili's would-be schedule is ambitious to say the least and would surely win fans back to his side. UFC is unlikely to book him in this manner, but I'm sure a victory over Nurmagomedov and reasonably timed second title defense would still go a long way in earning public favor.

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Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.