Merab Dvalishvili won’t let injury thwart his chances at winning the Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight title.
Dvalishvili will challenge Sean O’Malley for the bantamweight title in the main event of UFC 306 at the Sphere in Las Vegas on September 14. This particular card is one like no other. With less than a month until fight day, the challenger revealed a cut on his left eyelid, which immediately raised concerns for O’Malley.
The champion warned Dvalishvili not to withdraw from the bout, writing to X: “You son of a bitch never withdraw, I swear to God.”
This damn rat better never get out, I swear to God. https://t.co/NsuWW0WRWt
— Sean O’Malley (@SugaSeanMMA)
August 21, 2024
However, Dvalishvili assured O’Malley and fans that the injury will not put his upcoming UFC bout against Noche in jeopardy. Dvalishvili maintains that he has never withdrawn from a fight before and an injury certainly won’t change that as he approaches the biggest fight of his life to date.
“Calm down. I’m fine. Just a small training injury,” Dvalishvili wrote on Instagram. “I have never withdrawn from a fight and never will! O’Malley, I come at you stronger than ever. Vamos!”
Dvalishvili later posted another video of himself hitting the pads in the third session of the day with a cut on his eyelid, suggesting that people who “talk too much” are weak and looking for an excuse to avoid a match.
“I’m coming on September 14th. Sean O’Malley, you’re in big trouble, my friend,” he wrote. “Don’t talk too much. You know I’m dangerous. You know what’s coming, you already know it. I want to tell you all that everything is fine. Today is my third workout. I got a little cut today, but it’s part of the training… Guys, I’m in the gym 24 hours a day. I’m training. You think this little cut is going to stop me? I don’t get it. You guys are weak and making excuses, who’s been saying too much.”
