Demetrious Johnson, a former UFC flyweight champion and often regarded as one of the most dominant fighters in mixed martial arts history, has officially named Merab Dvalishvili as the greatest bantamweight fighter the Ultimate Fighting Championship has ever seen.
Johnson elaborated on his decision, acknowledging the complexity of choosing between Dvalishvili and another legendary figure in the bantamweight division, Dominick Cruz.
“It’s not easy to choose between Merab and Dominick, as Dvalishvili is so good at what he does. Cruz, on the other hand, has a very high fighting IQ. However, I’m not saying that Merab doesn’t have that. I just don’t know if Merab could beat him. But you know… just because of how many former UFC champions Merab has beaten, I’m going to say that he is the greatest in the bantamweight division.”
While recognizing Dominick Cruz`s exceptional tactical prowess and high fight IQ, Johnson ultimately favored Dvalishvili. His primary reasoning centered on Merab`s impressive track record, specifically highlighting the significant number of former UFC champions he has defeated throughout his career, which served as the decisive factor in Johnson`s assessment.
