Video: Any reason Merab Dvalishvili shouldn’t be the next UFC bantamweight title challenger?

February 22, 2024 7:40 pm ET

Merab Dvalishvili might’ve made the biggest overall splash last week at UFC 298.

Yes, Ilia Topuria claimed gold, but Dvalishvili won over the crowd leading up to his fight and then proceeded to defeat Henry Cejudo by unanimous decision for his 10th win in a row to stake his claim as the next bantamweight title challenger.

Afterward, Dvalishvili even went so far as to say he could serve as the backup for the UFC 299 headliner between champ Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera on March 9 in Miami.

Is there any reason Dvalishvili shouldn’t be the next challenger at 135 pounds? Our “Spinning Back Clique” or Mike Bohn, Matthew Wells and Brian “Goze” Garcia answered that with host “Gorgeous” George Garcia.

Watch the conversation in the video above, and check out this week’s full episode on YouTube below.

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Monday LIVE on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel at noon ET. You can also find each episode on your favorite podcast platforms – including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more – on Tuesday mornings.

Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.