“This is who I am,” Merab Dvalishvili shrugs off Dana White’s criticism for posting cut videos ahead of UFC 306

Merab Dvalishvili deflects pre-fight Dana White criticism before Noche UFC (UFC 306) pay-per-view title showdown with Sean O'Malley.

“This is who I am,” Merab Dvalishvili shrugs off Dana White’s criticism for posting cut videos ahead of UFC 306

Merab Dvalishvili defends UFC 306 camp antics against Dana White's fears (Source: IMAGO/X)

Merab Dvalishvili is not fazed by Dana White calling him “next-level stupid” for sharing a cut around his eye. The Georgian had a laceration above his eyelid stitched up just weeks before UFC 306. The title challenger meets champion Sean O’Malley at the Noche UFC (UFC 306) pay-per-view top bill.

Dvalishvili (17-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) suffered a cut that required several stitches about three weeks before the title showdown. It rang up another Charles Oliveira-like alarm before his bantamweight title fight at Noche UFC, which goes down at ‘Sphere’ in Las Vegas. CEO and taskmaster Dana White called it foolhardy to divulge a cut against a violent striker like ‘Suga’. None of it bothered Merab ‘The Machine’ Dvalishvili.

I never regret what I did, …I post this because I post everything in my social media. It wasn’t a big deal because I had more than three weeks when I got cut, and I know that my cut will take five days to heal up...didn’t affect my training, my sparring – nothing. When I saw Dana was upset, of course I don’t want to upset Dana White and UFC…But I was very calm because it wasn’t a big deal. I don’t regret nothing. This is who I am.
Merab Dvalishvili in pre-fight interview with MMAJunkie’s Mike Bohn
YouTube video

UFC’s concern about jeopardizing its main event for an event costing over $20m to produce is valid. Dana White himself has forked up quite the penny for pre-fight venue production and new kit ventures. But Dvalishvili is not worried about the fight night cut. In fact, he believes the storyline has only added intrigue to the showdown with the 135-pound kingpin at Noche UFC.

FS Video

White unleashed a classic rant against Dvalishvili after the footage emerged. He questioned why he would offer a target to Sean O’Malley to plunder so close to the fight. Yet again, the Serra-Longo Fight Team wrestler went viral for self-administering his stitches with bush shears! Many others in the MMA community echoed the same criticism afterward. But funnyman Dvalishvili maintains it wasn’t an attempt to troll the UFC CEO.

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The rebranded Riyad Season Noche UFC (UFC 306) pay-per-view is to be a one-in-a-lifetime event. The first-ever title headers and women’s trilogy of the Madison Square Gardens Company Avenue sees 135-pound title challenger Merab Dvalishvili rise to the occasion. His showdown with Sean O’Malley for the feature main event is to be a pure skill-to-skill, groundwork vs. standup test.

Merab Dvalishvili ready for Sean O'Malley and Noche UFC
Merab Dvalishvili ready for Sean O’Malley and Noche UFC (Source: IMAGO/boxemag.com)

The much-anticipated contest marks a second defense of the title for O’Malley. He had quite a violent output at the UFC 299 pay-per-view in Miami, earlier this year. He even won the 2024 ESPY for Best UFC Fighter Award after it. While the 33-year-old Dvalishvili has had a clear-cut thing going for him with his wrestle-heavy attire, that could just as soon change. Sean O’Malley can use his masterclass of feints and working in selective pockets to undo Dvalishvili’s wrestling.

The Georgian title challenger knows that. However, ‘Machine’ says self-administering his stitches was not poking fun or in any way putting himself in harm’s way against such a potent opponent.

That’s how I always do, …I get cut all the time, and I take the stitches out myself. It was normal for me to take stitches out by myself. I realized later it was big, big scissors, but at first when I take the stitches out, I was trying to take them out with a knife. But then the knife wasn’t cutting, and it was very painful, and I used scissors.
Merab Dvalishvili further said to MMAJunkie’s Mike Bohn

Dvalishvili even hinted it was a blessing in disguise as it got more people and pundits to panic. Subsequently, it got more eyes on to the title fight at Noche UFC. No press is bad press if it gets one talking. Dvalishvili plans to have all eyes on him for the September 14 headliner, which airs on pay-per-view after prelims on ESPN and ESPN+.

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