"I think they just created a monster" - Coach Ray Longo gets brutally honest about Merab Dvalishvili's road to UFC gold after Umar Nurmagomedov win

Merab Dvalishvili's performance against Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 left the MMA world jaw-dropped. Now, Ray Longo, who helps coach 'The Machine', believes that the bantamweight champion has transformed into a monster only those in his close circle could have foreseen.

Speaking to MMA on SiriusXM, Longo talked about Dvalishvili's evolution as a mixed martial artist. Not only has Dvalishvili grown, but Longo describes a pupil who is so in tune with his own strengths and shortcomings that every loss serves as a moment for him to correct any past mistakes he made.

"First off, he's still getting better. Merab was always a work in progress. Even any time he lost before he got to the UFC, he always made the corrections. His two losses, which I didn't were losses, he made corrections in those fights. He just kept getting better and better. I said it the other day, what they did to him to get to the title, putting a who's who in front of him to beat, I think they just created a monster."

Check out Ray Longo's thoughts on Merab Dvalishvili's evolution (0:20):

Nurmagomedov was widely regarded as Dvalishvili's most challenging stylistic matchup ahead of UFC 311. In fact, many were pegging 'The Young Eagle' to dethrone Dvalishvili as bantamweight champion. Unfortunately for the Dagestani MMA fanbase, that did not come to pass.

While Nurmagomedov did mount an impressive challenge, winning the first two rounds, he gradually fatigued, and Dvalishvili's bottomless gas tank allowed him to grow into the fight and steal the later rounds, completely overwhelming his foe by the end to win a unanimous decision.

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Merab Dvalishvili already has an all-time great bantamweight legacy

UFC 311 marked Merab Dvalishvili's first-ever title defense, and he was successful. Despite being a newly-minted bantamweight champion, he already has a résumé that is the envy of his peers. He recently defeated the previously unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov.

Before that, he dominated four UFC champions in consecutive bouts, defeating the legendary ex-featherweight champion José Aldo, ex-bantamweight champion Petr Yan, former two-division champion Henry Cejudo, and former bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley, who he dethroned.