Nolan Arenado gives verdict on Merab Dvalishvili after defeating Khabib Nurmagomedov's cousin Umar at UFC 311
St. Louis Cardinals star Nolan Arenado is one of the best third basemen ever, though he underperformed last season. Arenado, who is a 10-time Gold Glove winner, an eight-time All-Star and a five-time Silver Slugger winner, is also an avid martial artist.
Arenado trains Muay Thai under Todd Aimer, an MMA instructor based in California. Incidentally, UFC 311, the recently concluded PPV, was held in California at the Intuit Dome.
Arenado didn't watch the fights live like Blake Snell, Kike Hernandez and Bobby Miller, but saw them from the comforts of home. One fighter from the event stole Arenado's attention, evidenced by the caption of the Instagram story he shared on Saturday night.
"Insane what this man can do,"Nolan Arenado wrote.
Merab Dvalishvili was the man Arenado described. The story shared by the Cardinals star was the snap of Dvalishvili during his Octagon interview with Joe Rogan after his first title defense.
Dvalishvili's opponent at UFC 311 was no slouch. It was Umar Nurmagomedov, the cousin of retired undefeated UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov. Umar sported an undefeated record and was a sizeable betting favorite going into the fight.
Dvalishvili found it tough to impose his pressure fighting style in the first two rounds of the five-round affair. Two of three judges scored the first two rounds of the UFC 311 co-main event fight to Umar.
However, the Georgian champion showed why he is called "The Machine" as the Russian challenger wilted as the fight prolonged. All three judges scored the final three rounds for Dvalishvili.
With the victory, Dvalishvili extended his UFC winning streak to 12, 11 at bantamweight. Even more impressive, his last four victories before UFC 311 were against Sean O'Malley, Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan and Jose Aldo. All four were UFC champions.
Nolan Arenado shows off impressive Muay Thai skills
Nolan Arenado seems to be a big fan of Merab Dvalishvili, as the Georgian champion's cardio reigned supreme at UFC 311. Even though Arenado likes the Georgian's grappling acumen, the Cardinals star seems to like the other area of mixed martial arts.
Last month, Arenado showed impressive Muay Thai skills as he performed on a punching bag. In the orthodox fighting stance (left leg forward), he showcased impressive speed with his one-two combinations. He also mixed elbows, knees and roundhouse kicks to complete the drill.
Arenado's trainer, Todd Aimer, is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Shaolin Kenpo Karate. In the latter, he is a fourth-degree black belt.