There may never have been a fighter in the promotion’s 30-year history with a deeper gas tank, but Dvalishvili is now more than just relentless. He's a complete fighter who can threaten in every aspect of the game. On Saturday at UFC 316 in New Jersey, he showcased the latest evolution of his game, submitting Sean O’Malley with a North-South choke 18 seconds before the end of the third round.
His boxing looked sharper than ever. He cracked O’Malley with clean right hands, held his own in extended striking exchanges, never looking out of place against one of MMA’s most dynamic stand-up fighters. Then he took it to the mat and finished, getting his first submission in nearly eight years.
After O’Malley tapped, Dvalishvili leaped over the cage and jogged toward UFC CEO Dana White, President Donald Trump and a cadre of celebrities at ringside — a champion’s celebration that felt as emphatic as the win itself.
In three title fights, he's beaten O'Malley twice and the previously unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov and was almost never threatened.
He made himself into not only a champion but one of the elite fighters in the sport through the sweat of his brow. He isn't a genetic freak. He's shorter than most opponents and wasn't born able to run a half-marathon in the morning and then do a 5k after dinner.
It was through desire and sheer effort that he pushed himself to the top.
"You know, some people say it's genetics, my cardio," Dvalishvili said. "No guys, I was getting tired. You know, I was young and I didn't know what to do. And sometimes, I was smoking stupid cigarettes or like, some weed. This is bad for your lungs and your cardio and your body's functions. God didn't create us like this. I made this function.
"We have to live healthier. ... I don't need any bullshit. It's all hard work."
He was tossing O'Malley around the cage like a football and worked him over near the cage in front of O'Malley's corner. At their first bout in September, O'Malley coach Tim Welch shouted faux instructions to Dvalishvili, trying to confuse him. On Saturday, O'Malley's staff could just sit there and watch while O'Malley was mauled.
Dvalishvili's likely to face Corey Sandhagen next. As good as Sandhagen is, it's going to take a Herculean effort to defeat this version of Dvalishvili.
It'll need to be an opponent with the hands of O'Malley, the wrestling defense of Kamaru Usman, the submissions from his back like Charles Oliveira and the gas tank of, yeah, Dvalishvili.
Until that person comes along, or until Father Time does his thing, it's going to take a major mistake for someone to beat Dvalishvili. And that may not happen any time soon.