Watch: Dvalishvili, Moraes deliver 1 of the craziest rounds of year
The first round between Merab Dvalishvili and Marlon Moraes was a tale of two fights, and it was one of the wildest five minutes of action in UFC history.
Moraes virtually had Dvalishvili out on his feet with a barrage of punches midway through:
How did Merab survive this 🤯
— UFC (@ufc) September 26, 2021
[ #UFC266 | Prelims Live NOW on ESPN+ & ESPNews ] pic.twitter.com/JSn96gVPbi
However, the referee didn't wave off the contest and Dvalishvili survived. He managed to get on top of Moraes, and the Georgia native opened up with devastating ground-and-pound near the end of the round and almost finished the fight himself:
Do we have a new round of the year contender? 👀
— UFC (@ufc) September 26, 2021
[ #UFC266 | Live on @ESPNPlus & ESPNews ] pic.twitter.com/AkKEXvvM0q
Dvalishvili took over in Round 2 and earned a TKO victory on the ground at the 4:25 mark.
The 30-year-old extended his winning streak to five, while Moraes has now lost three in a row.