‘That’s absurd’ – Footage shows Merab Dvalishvili sparring hours before UFC 323 defeat

Merab Dvalishvili was in the gym on the day of his UFC 323 main event loss to Petr Yan.

Dvalishvili lost the UFC bantamweight title to Yan at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night.

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Yan put on a masterclass in the five-round main event to shockingly outpoint Dvalishvili, who tasted defeat for the first time since 2018.

Dvalishvili became champion for the first time by defeating Sean O’Malley in September 2024, and UFC 323 marked his fourth title defence of 2025.

This prompted concern from fans as some claimed the now-former champion displayed a ‘drained’ demeanour at UFC 323’s pre-fight press conference on Thursday.

Members of the MMA fraternity were worried that Dvalishvili’s extreme weight cuts had finally caught up to him.

The former champion usually walks around anywhere between 160-170lbs, but had to meet the championship limit at bantamweight of 135lbs for the fourth time this year ahead of his fight with Yan.

Then, just before Dvalishvili entered the octagon at UFC 323, incredible footage circulated online of ‘The Machine’ doing the rounds just hours before the fight.

Merab Dvalishvili was sparring with no head guard on morning of UFC 323 fight

UFC bantamweight Mark Vologdin, whom Dana White signed after his Contender Series war in October, revealed he was putting Dvalishvili through his paces on the morning of the Las Vegas headliner.

“This morning, I got rounds in with the Machine,” Vologdin wrote on X.

“Merab Dvalishvili hours before he steps into the Octagon for his UFC title fight.

“No better way to start the day. Proud to help sharpen the machine.”

Fans react to Dvalishvili’s wild sparring routine

UFC light heavyweight Khalil Rountree Jr has already revealed Dvalishvili’s fight day routine, which includes sparring on the same day.

However, fans couldn’t quite believe it when they saw the footage for the first time, and some are now saying it could be the reason why Dvalishvili didn’t look his best against Yan.

Responding to Vologdin’s video, one fan wrote on X: “Insane but not very bright. He looked slow tonight, and now I know why.”

Another wrote: “Well, that backfired horribly, didn’t it?”

A third added: “That’s absurd.”

While a fourth said: “He does this every fight. It’s truly insane.”

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Dvalishvili acknowledged the tough weight cuts to 135lbs in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan,

However, ‘The Machine’ did not use it as an excuse, admitting Yan simply performed better on the night.

Dvalishvili is known to have one of the best gas tanks in the UFC, so it’s unclear how much of an effect the Saturday morning sparring session would’ve had on his performance.

UFC 323 also witnessed Alexandre Pantoja suffer a gruesome shoulder injury and subsequently lose the flyweight title to Joshua Van.

Henry Cejudo retired after losing to Payton Talbott, while Jalin Turner had a successful return from retirement by knocking out Edson Barboza.