UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili entered the Octagon on Saturday night fresh off a horrific leg injury suffered ahead of UFC 311.
Merab Dvalishvili battled more than the previously undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov in the UFC 311 co-main event last Saturday in Los Angeles. Leading up to his ‘Fight of the Year’ candidate against Nurmagomedov, in which he overwhelmed the challenger in the later rounds, Dvalishvili suffered a freak injury to his right leg that nearly put the fight in serious jeopardy.
As discussed during the middle of UFC 311 fight week, Dvalishvili entered the cage at less than 100 percent healthwise, dealing with several injuries sustained during camp. He suffered a back injury weeks before UFC 311 and suffered a nasty laceration to his right leg that many fans speculated was the result of a staph infection.
While Dvalishvili warned fans of his compromised leg before UFC 311, fight week images didn’t capture the full severity of his pre-fight condition. After his unanimous decision win over Nurmagomedov, Dvalishvili shared footage and images of his right leg wounds.
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Fans react to Merab Dvalishvili’s horrific leg injury suffered ahead of UFC 311
As you can see in the multi-faceted Instagram post below, Dvalishvili entered UFC 311 with several wounds on his right leg. Fans had a lot to say about Dvalishvili’s injury and his remarkable performance against the previously unbeaten Nurmagomedov.
“Dude is an absolute machine, I think I can see bone on the top gash,” one fan wrote on X.
“That’s disgusting.”
“Oh my god that is nasty.”
“This guy is truly a machine.”
“How did he do it.”
“And he still put on a show, respect.”
“What the f*** happened to him.”
“Average Merab activities.”
“If he would’ve pulled out, everyone would be calling him “chicken” funny how social media works lol.”
“Bro destroyed a Dagestani with one leg.”
Despite his pre-UFC 311 health issues, Dvalishvili put on arguably the most impressive performance of his career as he entered as a modest underdog in his first title defense. He was able to press Nurmagomedov with his relentless takedown attempts and timely striking, particularly in the championship rounds.
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Merab Dvalishvili tricked California State Athletic Commission ahead of UFC 311
During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Dvalishvili revealed how he disguised his leg injury ahead of UFC 311.
“The cut was still open, and it was taking so long to heal up, and finally closed up during fight week. I was worried the commission wasn’t going to let me fight,” Dvalishvili said. “I was doing everything from the creams every day, massages, therapies. California has a very strict commission, and they check everything on my body. Thursday, the commission guy asked me to show him my shin, I lifted my pants on my left leg, showed him, and then he asked me to show him my other leg.
“I showed him my left leg [again]. Who knows? Maybe I could’ve passed, but I was worried because it looked like it was fresh, but it was a longtime cut.”
Dvalishvili then explained the origins of his leg injury.
“I was doing cardio training on stairs, and I hit my shin on the stairs,” Dvalishvili shared. “A little bit of pain [beforehand], but in the fight, nothing. It felt good.”
After the win at UFC 311, Dvalishvili has plenty of time to fully recover from his injuries and let the bantamweight title picture continue to play out. Ahead of a potential rematch with Sean O’Malley, Dvalishvili showcased his trademark toughness in the first defense of his belt.
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