June 13, 2020; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Merab Dvalishvili (Red Gloves) reacts after the conclusion of his fight against Gustavo Lopez during UFC Fight Night at the UFC APEX. Mandatory Credit: Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via USA TODAY Sport
The first bout of the main card during UFC 252 in Las Vegas Saturday night included two top-15 fighters within the bantamweight division.
Merab Dvalishvili and John Dodson did not disappoint. It went a full three rounds with Dvalishvili coming out on top via decision. He landed double the amount of significant strikes. And despite going just 1-of-15 in take down attempts, that one was something else.
This is an extremely significant win in that Republic of Georgia native has not been defeated since all the way back in April of 2018. He’s won his past five bouts.
Dodson came in as the 12th-ranked fighter within the bantamweight division. Dvalishvili was ranked 15th. He might now be top-10 with a potential championship bout looming at some point in the not-so-distant future.