Merab Dvalishvili secured a victory over Frankie Edgar by technical superiority with a score of 12-1 at RAF 9.
Merab Dvalishvili added another dominant performance to his resume, defeating Frankie Edgar by technical superiority with a lopsided score of 12-1 at RAF 9 on May 31, 2026.
Dvalishvili, known as "The Machine," enters the record books at 21-5-0 following the victory. The 35-year-old Georgian trains out of the Serra-Longo Fight Team and currently sits at number one in the bantamweight division and number two in the pound-for-pound rankings. His relentless style is reflected in his statistics — he averages 6.4 takedowns per 15 minutes, one of the more punishing rates in the sport, and lands 4.33 significant strikes per minute to keep opponents off balance between grappling exchanges.
Edgar, nicknamed "The Answer," brought a career record of 23-11-1 into the bout. The 44-year-old New Jersey native, who trains with Ricardo Almeida Jiu-Jitsu, stands five-foot-six with a 68-inch reach — identical measurements to Dvalishvili — and has shown durability and technical grappling throughout a long career, averaging 2.29 takedowns per 15 minutes himself. The lopsided 12-1 scorecard, however, indicated little room for Edgar on the night.
Why it matters
- Dvalishvili's dominant margin reinforces his position as the top-ranked bantamweight contender heading into what figures to be a significant title picture conversation.
- The result extends his run of high-volume, wrestle-heavy performances that have made him one of the most difficult stylistic puzzles in the 135-pound division.
- For Edgar, competing at 44, the wide technical superiority verdict raises questions about where he goes from here in a career already defined by remarkable longevity.
