Broken Nose of Merab Dvalishvili Resurface Again as Rumored Championship Fight Awaits

Despite winning his RAF 09 debut against Frankie Edgar, Merab Dvalishvili didn't come away unscathed as he broke his nose once again.

Broken Nose of Merab Dvalishvili Resurface Again as Rumored Championship Fight Awaits

Merab Dvalishvili in action [via Independent]

Merab Dvalishvili made his debut for Real American Freestyle as he waits for his next UFC fight. Despite a dominant win over UFC legend and former champion Frankie Edgar, the ‘Machine’ took his fair share of punishment. The former bantamweight champion suffered his second broken nose this year in last weekend’s match. 

Dvalishvili and Edgar clashed heads early on in their match as they battled to secure a dominant position. The damage was clear as the 35-year-old immediately grabbed his nose. However, the injury did not deter the bantamweight from defeating the former UFC lightweight champion via technical fall to win his RAF debut.

The Georgian was in high spirits after winning. Despite his injury, he ran around the RAF mats before doing some celebratory flips. Following his heroics on the mat, Merab Dvalishvili revealed that he had suffered yet another broken nose. The UFC star broke his nose earlier this year while training at Syndicate MMA in Vegas.

The nose was fine before, but I got a head butt and broke [my nose again]. Who cares? I broke my nose many times. It’s never going to stop me. It’s just the nose broken. That’s what we do and it’s all good.

Merab Dvalishvili via MMA Fighting

Dvalishvili is currently waiting for a trilogy fight against Petr Yan to settle their rivalry. His coach, John Wood, had also confirmed that this was the next fight for the ‘Machine.’ Following his victory, the UFC star expressed his desire to remain busy while alleging inactivity on Yan’s part.

I like to be busy. As you guys know, I’m ready for a fight. I’m just waiting for Petr Yan, hopefully, he will come back. I just saw he’s on vacation right now. I like to be busy, and thank you, RAF.

Merab Dvalishvili via MMA Fighting

To that end, the 35-year-old called out former UFC double champion Henry Cejudo to a wrestling match. He was originally scheduled to debut at RAF 08 against ‘Triple C’. Despite the latter amping up the trash talk in the buildup, the bout fell through when Cejudo dropped out of the match at the last minute.

However, this latest injury will not make it easy for the 35-year-old to remain active. A few weeks ago, he had revealed how much the broken nose had affected him as he was training for the match against the former double champion.

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Merab Dvalishvili reveals struggling to breathe after breaking his nose earlier

Merab Dvalishvili broke his nose in his professional debut after getting kneed. The punishment hasn’t stopped since, with several subsequent injuries to it. Despite all this, the Machine refuses to get surgery, fearing a lengthy recovery window.

Merab Dvalishvili
Merab Dvalishvili broke his nose once again at RAF 09 [via Bloody Elbow]

But as he prepared for his cancelled RAF debut against Cejudo on April 18, the Georgian revealed on social media how much this injury had disrupted his training. Dvalishvili admitted that he could feel the broken bones in his nose when he touched it.

What a good day and what a stupid accident again, 12 years… even worse, as you see, it’s even more cracked in the same direction, and when I touch my bones, they are broken inside. On one side, I can’t even breathe. I’m gonna do an X-ray now. I’m sure the UFC will help me with that.

Merab Dvalishvili via social media

The No.1 ranked UFC bantamweight’s nose was found to be broken in two places. Moreover, the Georgian had spoken to a surgeon who’d informed him that he would need to “rebreak other bones” in his nose to straighten it out.

All in all, Merab Dvalishvili’s successful RAF debut has ultimately added to his injury woes. With the former bantamweight champion refusing surgery, it appears this issue will go unaddressed as things stand.

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