It seems that Merab Dvalishvili trains with the same intensity he has during his fights after news broke that the UFC bantamweight champion has suffered a broken foot just weeks out from his first title defense.
‘The Machine’ has become a fan favorite with his relentless style inside the octagon, accompanied by his witty skits on social media. More people are beginning to sit up and take notice, but even with the recent surge in interest, the Georgian remains careless in his buildup to fights.
Several times, Merab Dvalishvili has hurt himself in the days and weeks leading up to an octagon appearance. Despite holding UFC gold and playing a key role in the company’s next pay-per-view, Dvalishvili has sustained a worrying injury to his foot.
Posting on his Instagram story, the 34-year-old revealed what seemed to be a broken toe ahead of his headlining clash at UFC 316.
According to the brief video, Merab Dvalishvili damaged his toe while throwing a head kick during a sparring session.
The grapple-heavy champion has been colliding with training partners as they try to imitate Sean O’Malley’s style inside the cage. Dvalishvili will hope to keep hold of his crown next month, but this injury could prevent that.
Check out the video below.
Merab Dvalishvili injures his toe just 2 weeks out from the Sean O'Malley rematch 😅"It's okay, I'm gonna cut it off."🎥 IG / vato.gv #UFC316 pic.twitter.com/91YVmKSWAh
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) May 23, 2025
Related: ‘Half Dead’ Merab Dvavishvili was nearly pulled from UFC 311 by coach
Despite backlash from fans, Merab Dvalishvili has accepted a rematch against Sean O’Malley, happy to provide the former champion with a shot to reclaim his title.
The pair first met at UFC 306 eight months ago. While many considered the bout to be one-sided, two of the three judges scored just three rounds to the champion, making it a much closer affair than first thought.
Sean O’Malley believes he will do enough this time around to recapture the gold, though even with a broken foot, Merab Dvalishvili is confident the result will remain the same.
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