Recall that this year the Georgian defended his bantamweight champion title three times but lost the title to Petr Yan in December.
"I still believe that Dvalishvili deserves to be named UFC fighter of the year. He tried to set a record number of title defenses. People forget that it is a serious challenge not only for the body but also for the mind, as you have to give interviews repeatedly, participate in a bunch of promo events, and so on. Merab deserves to be considered fighter of the year even after losing to Petr Yan," the specialist said in an interview with Submission Radio.