By FCF Staff

After winning the UFC’s bantamweight title and defending it two times, Merab Dvalishvili has picked up another accolade: the 2025 ESPY for Fighter of the Year.

Recently, it was announced that Dvalishvili has been chosen for the award, which factors in events from July 1 of 2024 through June 20th of this year.

During that time, the Georgian star recorded a decision win over Sean O’Malley in September to win the bantamweight title. In January, Dvalishvili defended the belt by working his way to a unanimous decision win over Umar Nurmagomedov, who had never been defeated prior.

Most recently, at UFC 316 last month, Dvalishvili submitted O’Malley in round three to defend the bantamweight title for a second time.

The other finalists for the award were Dricus du Plessis, Kayla Harrison, and Islam Makhachev.

The 34-year-old fighter currently carries a record of 20 and 4. Dvalishvili is not currently booked for his next fight.