Merab Dvalishvili is inevitable.
Despite Umar Nurmagomedov’s best efforts in his first crack at UFC gold, Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) proved his championship metal by getting better as the fight reached deep waters.
The UFC bantamweight championship remained around the Georgian’s waist after outpacing Nurmagomedov (18-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) with unanimous scores of 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46 in the UFC 311 co-main event at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif.