How Good Is Merab Dvalishvili at Jiu Jitsu

What Belt Is Merab Dvalishvili in Jiu Jitsu

Merab Dvalishvili is a Brazilian jiu jitsu purple belt, promoted by former UFC welterweight champion Matt Serra at Serra BJJ in New York. Serra is a Renzo Gracie black belt and was the first American man to win an IBJJF World Championship at black belt, which means the rank is grounded in serious sport BJJ pedigree.

Outside of BJJ, Merab is a Judo black belt, holds a silver medal from the 2019 World Sambo Championships, and has a lifetime of Georgian wrestling training. That is a stacked non-BJJ grappling resume.

Merab’s Coach and Training Home

Dvalishvili trains with the Serra-Longo Fight Team in New York. Ray Longo runs his MMA and striking development. Matt Serra runs his BJJ training. Together they have built a fighter who can out grapple top level wrestlers despite having no NCAA pedigree of his own.

Georgian wrestling and judo are the real engine of his cage grappling. The BJJ is bolted on to give him submissions and ground control.

How Merab’s Grappling Shows Up in the Octagon

Merab is one of the highest volume takedown artists in UFC history. His title run at bantamweight built on relentless pressure, double legs, body locks and constant forward motion. Against Sean O’Malley, Henry Cejudo, and Jose Aldo, the grappling phases were the deciding factor.

His UFC resume does not include many submission finishes, which tells you his grappling game is built on control and volume rather than finishing attacks. He grinds opponents into losing decisions. That is a different skill set than a Charles Oliveira style submission hunter.

The 2025 Title Loss to Petr Yan

Merab lost the title at UFC 323 to Petr Yan, which was a striking loss more than a grappling loss. He controlled parts of the grappling exchanges but could not find submissions, and on the feet Yan’s boxing edge made the difference.

The Verdict on Merab Dvalishvili’s Jiu Jitsu

A legitimate purple belt with a deep non-BJJ grappling resume. His cage jiu jitsu is built around control and position rather than submissions, and it has been good enough to win a UFC title and beat nearly every top ranked bantamweight of the 2020s.

Our rating, 7 out of 10. Elite MMA grappling, modest sport BJJ pedigree, multiple grappling styles all feeding the same overwhelming pace.

Part of our ongoing series ranking the BJJ of every notable UFC fighter and BJJ practicing celebrity. See the full Fighter BJJ Profiles index.