Merab Dvalishvili should never be counted out.

Despite stepping into his first title defense as a decided underdog, Dvalishvili weathered an early storm and then displayed the kind of pace and conditioning that have outlasted 12 consecutive opponents as he defeated Umar Nurmagomedov in a five-round instant classic. Forward pressure combined with takedowns and timely strikes allowed Dvalishvili to outwork Nurmagomedov and retain his title with the judges scoring the fight 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46 as he earned the unanimous decision victory in the UFC 311 co-main event.

“You guys know. You know I’m training all the time. I am the machine,” Dvalishvili said about his awe-inspiring conditioning. “I have a big cut on my leg, I have an infection but I know the UFC needed me. The UFC gave me everything. Today I was good but you have to prepare good, I had an infection on my leg and my lower back [was hurt]. Umar is a tough fighter and he’s good but he called me old. Yes, I’m old but I’m working everyday.

“I’m a harder worker. The whole world was against me. But I don’t give a shit. I believe in my hard work … I believe in myself.”

Once again, Dvalishvili showed why he’s the best bantamweight in the world even if Saturday night almost felt like a setup for Nurmagomedov to be crowned king. When the fight got started, Nurmagomedov showed why he was a heavy favorite but Dvalishvili refused to back down or go away.

A brief feeling out process gave way to some tremendous striking exchanges in the early going with Dvalishvili uncharacteristically throwing with huge power behind his punches. Nurmagomedov met him at every exchange, showing crisper striking and inviting the champion to trade with him on the feet.

While Dvalishvili connected with a couple of stiff punches, Nurmagomedov was consistently connecting with the stiffer shots including a staggering right hand that blasted the Georgian in the chin just before the first round ended. Nurmagomedov began dishing out more of the same in round two before reversing a takedown attempt and taking Dvalishvili’s back on the ground.

The grappling exchange ended quickly with Dvalishvili working his way back to the feet but Nurmagomedov quickly reset before tossing out his lead jab that kept landing on target.

The damage showed on Dvalishvili’s nose as blood began pouring down his face. Dvalishvili began constantly wiping away at his face and that pretty clearly let Nurmagomedov know he was doing good work with his straight punches.

In the third round, Dvalisvhili’s pace started to pay dividends as he actually scored a couple of takedowns on Nurmagomedov while continuing to gain confidence in his hands. With a huge smile on his face, Dvalishvili was frustrating Nurmagomedov, who just couldn’t mount as much offense as the fight turned into a wrestling match.

Dvalishvili continued pushing the pace and pressuring Nurmagomedov and it was evident that the challenger’s conditioning was wearing thin. While Nurmagomedov never got stuck on the ground, Dvalishvili’s ability to keep him on his back foot and make him react was really paying dividends.

As time passed, Dvalishvili was surging and Nurmagomedov was visibly running out of gas. With that, Dvalishvili continued spamming takedown attempts and even when he didn’t get Nurmagomedov down, he was making the Russian play defense and that only wore on him that much more.

With Nurmagomedov realizing that the tide had turned, he got a little more aggressive on the feet but even that backfired with Dvalishvili clubbing him with a nasty right hand and then followed by another takedown just before the horn sounded. Dvalishvili immediately climbed the cage in celebration while an exhausted Nurmagomedov was just happy to catch his breath.

After the result was revealed, Nurmagomedov actually argued that he thought he deserved the nod but he still wants to watch the fight back before making any declarations.

“I think first round I won, the others were close,” Nurmagomedov said. “I don’t think I lose this fight. After the first round, I can’t punch because I think I broke my hand and the games go the other way.

“I need to watch this video of my fight. I don’t think I lost this fight. I’m not agreeing with the judges but I need to see all the rounds. I knew he was a tough guy.”

Regardless of how he feels about the decision, Nurmagomedov made a good account for himself in his first shot at UFC gold but ultimately Dvalishvili showed off the championship mettle that’s going to make him incredibly tough for anyone to beat at 135 pounds.