A Few Inches, and All the Difference

Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311

The Georgian Machine

Contents:

• Too Far Gone

• Just a Tad Closer Now . . .

Cardio is the ultimate weapon. No one imposes it like Merab Dvalishvili. Colby Covington, Cain Velasquez, and Max Holloway are fighters known for their incredible pace, having outlasted and drowned their opponents. Merab Dvalishvili is simply on another level, outputting so much that his foes can barely mount any form of offense.

At UFC 311, Merab showed us yet again why he is the bantamweight champion, taking the heralded Umar Nurmagomedov into the deepest waters he has yet had to tread. It was an inspiring performance, and in all honestly had me taking my HIIT much more seriously.

It was not without its challenges. Dvalishvili dropped the first two rounds quite convincingly. It was not until the third round that we saw him pour on the pressure with his unending takedown attempts. What changed?

Too Far Gone

Dvalishvili’s early problems were the result of what we see in V1. Dvalishvili was standing so far away from Nurmagomedov that his punching feints were not even convincing. He was nowhere near hitting him. Dvalishvili is shorter even for bantamweight standards, and is not known for his abnormally long limbs like Alexander Volkanovski. Why stand this far away? I wondered watching the fight.

I received a little clarity from one of his coaches, John Wood of Syndicate MMA:

“I expect Umar to be able to deal with all that [Merab's pace and wrestling]. But come 3rd, 4th, 5th round I think it's going to be a Merab fight. I expect a hard first couple rounds. But I expect Merab to take over and put that grind and that pace."

He did not care if Merab dropped the first two rounds, but it was still strange to me that Dvalishvili willingly started the fight from Nurmagomedov’s preferred range. He loves throwing kicks with his lead leg, his favorite being the question mark kick (V2). It does not often land, but it must be respected if you are hanging around at kicking range. Nurmagomedov will then use this threat for a stepping knee fight that covers distance and forces an opponent backwards.