Merab Dvalishvili is at it once more.
At all times prepared to overshare, the reigning bantamweight champion revealed a toe damage on social media forward of his upcoming title protection in opposition to Sean O’Malley at UFC 316 on June 7 in Newark, N.J.
Try the the state of Dvalishvili’s foot beneath, courtesy of an Instagram Story video shared by vato.gv and later re-posted by Dvalishvili.
vato.gv, Instagram
“Why you break my toe, my pal?” Dvalishvili asks within the video. He’s talking to coaching companion Cameron Sandoval, a bantamweight fighter who not too long ago scored a win over Victor Santos at an LFA present this previous March to enhance to 4-0.
“That was you, you kicked me within the head and broke your toe, that was your fault,” Sandoval stated.
“I’m going to chop it off,” Dvalishvili stated. “This man broke it.”
It ought to be famous that neither the damage nor the following dialogue round it gave the impression to be severe. That stated, sharing the information was a curious choice, particularly contemplating Dvalishvili’s previous habits forward of title fights.
Dvalishvili drew the ire of UFC CEO Dana White a month forward of his first battle with O’Malley at UFC 306 in September 2024, when he revealed he wanted to get stitches above his left eye to handle a small reduce. White called Dvalishvili’s decision to publicly release the information “next-level stupid.”
Forward of his first title protection at UFC 311 this previous January, Dvalishvili once more handled well being points, although these weren’t revealed till after the battle, a unanimous choice win over the beforehand undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov. Dvalishvili had two cuts on his right leg that he confirmed off on the post-fight press convention and his coach John Wooden not too long ago stated the Dvalishvili was “half-dead for that fight” as a result of a staph an infection and antibiotic therapy for his wounds.
The Dvalishvili vs. O’Malley rematch headlines UFC 316 on June 7. Of their first assembly at UFC 306, Dvalishvili used his wrestling to neutralize O’Malley en path to profitable a unanimous choice and claiming the bantamweight title. It was the twelfth straight win for Dvalishvili, who has not misplaced a battle since April 2018.
