Merab Dvalishvili continued proving himself to be one of the most dominant forces in the UFC this past weekend in Newark.
Dvalishvili previously claimed that there were huge implications for Sean O’Malley as the two men met in a rematch for the bantamweight title at UFC 316.
‘The Machine’ recorded his second win over the former champion on June 7, retaining the title via submission to continue building one of the most impressive win streaks in UFC history.
While O’Malley has no plans to walk away from the sport, his 135 pound rival is building a remarkable resume with his momentum showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Here is where Dvalishvili ranks in the top five greatest UFC bantamweight champions of all time.
5. Renan Barao
During the peak of his UFC career, Renan Barao was widely considered to be one of the very best fighters in the sport.
The Brazilian would potentially be higher on this list if it wasn’t for the fact that his impressive finishes over Michael McDonald and Eddie Wineland were interim title defenses before he was promoted to the undisputed champion in January of 2014.
Barao’s remarkable over 30-fight unbeaten streak came to a shocking end at UFC 173, and while ‘The Baron’ was a spectacular talent, title defenses matter on this list.
4. TJ Dillashaw
The man that produced one of the biggest upsets in UFC history when he took the title from Renan Barao has had his legacy diminished by several factors.
TJ Dillashaw’s second reign as bantamweight champion ended after he was suspended due to a drug test failure, and his disappointing final fight inside the Octagon, are big factors that go against the 39-year-old.
That being said, Dillashaw was incredible to watch when he was at his best with his two wins over Barao and Cody Garbrandt standing out.
3. Aljamain Sterling
Aljamain Sterling currently holds the UFC record for the most consecutive bantamweight title defenses having successfully kept hold of the belt when facing Petr Yan, TJ Dillashaw and Henry Cejudo.
His reign started in fairly disastrous fashion after he won the belt due to Yan disqualifying himself with an illegal knee to the head.
‘Funk Master’ was able to turn things around with a nine-fight win streak that included a first-round submission win over Cory Sandhagen.
2. Dominick Cruz
Dominick Cruz had his career largely cut short by injuries but even with those setbacks, he has been considered to be the greatest bantamweight to ever do it for a long time.
‘The Dominator’ has three UFC title defenses to his name having been crowned the promotion’s inaugural 135 pound champion.
While he holds impressive title fight wins over the likes of Urijah Faber and Demetrious Johnson, it’s his victory over TJ Dillashaw which saw him return from hiatus and reclaim the bantamweight belt which stands above the rest.
1. Merab Dvalishvili
Recency bias is a real factor when drawing up these lists and Merab Dvalishvili doesn’t have as many title defenses as Sterling or Cruz.
However, when you look at his current win streak and the manner of those victories, it’s hard to argue that any bantamweight champion has ever achieved this much success.
After losing his first two fights inside the Octagon, ‘The Machine’ has put together 13 consecutive wins over top contenders and former champions like Sean O’Malley, Umar Nurmagomedov, Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan, Jose Aldo and Marlon Moraes.
The scary thought is that, even in a very talented bantamweight division, after watching him submit O’Malley at UFC 316, Dvalishvili might still be getting better.