Five months later, Dvalishvili rematched Sean O’Malley at UFC 316, submitting the former champ via guillotine choke in the third round. Then in October, he scored 20 takedowns in a 49-46 victory over Cory Sandhagen.
At UFC 323, Dvalishvili attempted to become the first fighter to defend a UFC title four times in a single calendar year. While unsuccessful, the bout earned Fight of the Night honors and set the table for a potential trilogy fight to give “The Machine” a chance at redemption.
The 5-0 Club
Three fighters have collected five wins in a 12-month span. While none were champions at the time, winning five fights in the UFC in 12 months is a remarkable achievement.
Kevin Holland (2020): Started with a first-round KO of Anthony Hernandez and a third-round KO of Joaquin Buckley. He then defeated Darren Stewart by decision before earning two more first-round stoppages against Charlie Ontiveros and Jacare Souza.
Neil Magny (2014): Scored TKO victories over William Macário and Rodrigo de Lima, and decision wins over Gasan Umalatov, Tim Means and Alex Garcia. Magny is still climbing the all-time lists at No. 4 for most UFC fights (37) and No. 2 for most wins (24).
Roger Huerta (2007): Earned two Fight of the Night bonuses, four finishes and a Fight of the Year performance in 11 months. Started with a first-round finish over John Halverson in February, then a Fight of the Night decision over Leonard Garcia in April. He followed those wins with stoppages over Doug Evans and Alberto Crane in June and August, and ended the year with a third-round submission win over Clay Guida that earned Fight of the Year honors. Quite a remarkable year that remains one of the most impressive stretches in UFC history.
