T.J. Dillashaw’s Bold Take on Merab Dvalishvili’s Toughest
When T.J. Dillashaw named Cody Garbrandt as a difficult hypothetical opponent for Merab Dvalishvili, he was offering a matchup opinion, not predicting a booked title fight. The former UFC bantamweight champion made the comment on the JAXXON podcast in January 2025, shortly after Dvalishvili had defended his belt against Umar Nurmagomedov. Dillashaw’s point was conditional: he wanted to see Garbrandt get a couple of wins before facing the champion.
The original discussion came during the official JAXXON UFC 311 recap with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Dillashaw and Bear Degidio, published January 21, 2025. In the conversation, Dillashaw praised Garbrandt’s speed and athleticism and argued that those qualities could create problems for Dvalishvili. The published BJPenn report summarized his reasoning and emphasized that he viewed the matchup as a possibility after Garbrandt rebuilt momentum.
Dillashaw had a personal history with Garbrandt that helps explain why he singled him out. They fought twice for the UFC bantamweight title: Dillashaw stopped Garbrandt by TKO at UFC 217 in November 2017, then won their rematch by first-round TKO at UFC 227 in August 2018. Those results give Dillashaw firsthand experience of Garbrandt’s speed and power, but they do not prove that Garbrandt would be Dvalishvili’s toughest opponent. His comment was an informed, subjective assessment from a former rival.
The timing also matters. Garbrandt’s most recent bout at the time was a second-round rear-naked-choke submission loss to Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC 300 in April 2024, as the official UFC result records. He had shown flashes of the sharp boxing that made him champion, but the loss meant Dillashaw’s “couple of wins” condition was central to the suggestion. Dillashaw described a possible stylistic challenge.
Dvalishvili’s subsequent run supplied a useful test of the division’s landscape. He began 2025 by edging Nurmagomedov by unanimous decision at UFC 311, then submitted Sean O’Malley in their UFC 316 rematch in June. In October, he defeated Cory Sandhagen by unanimous decision at UFC 320, making three successful title defenses in the calendar year. The UFC’s year-end review recaps that run.
The year ended with a reversal: Petr Yan beat Dvalishvili by unanimous decision at UFC 323 on December 6, 2025, reclaiming the bantamweight championship. The UFC’s official event report records the result. That outcome does not answer the hypothetical Garbrandt matchup, but it shows why a January 2025 opinion should be read in its original context rather than as a current title picture.
Dillashaw’s take remains interesting as a technical debate: Garbrandt’s fast hands and explosive counters could challenge an opponent who pressures continuously, while Dvalishvili’s pace, wrestling and ability to force extended exchanges pose a different kind of test. The strengths Dillashaw cited are relevant, but a matchup cannot be decided on speed alone. Garbrandt would need to defend takedowns, manage the pace and sustain offense across championship rounds. In January 2025, Dillashaw’s own caveat was the key detail: first, Garbrandt needed to put together wins.
