Tomorrow night on the main card of UFC Vegas 25, we will see a showdown between two bantamweights in the top fifteen. Thirteenth ranked Cody Stamann (19-3-1) takes on the surging contender, Merab Dvalishvili (12-4).
For Stamann, he will be looking to bounce back after suffering a loss in his last outing. In his last fight, Stamann took on Jimmie Rivera on one of the UFC‘s first cards on Fight Island. It was a competitive fight, but Rivera definitely got the best of Stamann.
That was just the second loss since Stamann joined the UFC back in 2017. His only other loss came against the current bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling. Sterling is also one of the main teammates of Merab Dvalishvili.
Dvalishvili didn’t get off to a hot start in the UFC. The native of Georgia lost his first two fights inside the octagon against Frankie Saenz and Ricky Simon. However, since those two losses, Dvalishvili has been nothing short of dominant.
Coming into UFC Vegas 25, Dvalishvili has won five fights in a row. Not too mention, he also set the bantamweight record for takedowns in his fight against Gustavo Lopez.
UFC Vegas 25 Prediction
I’m so intrigued by this matchup at UFC Vegas 25 because both guys are so similar. They both have tremendous wrestling and they both have ever-improving striking. It makes for such an interesting matchup.
For Stamann, he’s got to be able to withstand the pressure from Dvalishvili. Dvalishvili is going to come forward right away with a lot of pressure. The game plan for Dvalishvili is going to be to get Stamann tired with activity and pressure.
Usually with two grapplers, the fight ends up being a standup fight. If it is purely striking, I think Stamann has looked a tad more polished. However, Dvalishvili throws a lot and he’s always heavy on the activity.
I think this UFC Vegas 25 matchup is going to be decided early. There is going to be some grappling sprinkled in with this fight and whoever gets the better of it should win a decision. I don’t see a finish in this one, but I have to say, I like Merab Dvalishvili to pick up his sixth straight win in the octagon.
Prediction: Merab Dvalishvili by Unanimous Decision