Merab Dvalishvili promises he’s still fighting Sean O’Malley at UFC 316 and a toe injury isn’t going to throw him off his game.
The reigning UFC bantamweight champion recently post a video showing the pinky toe on his right foot was swollen after a training session where he jokingly blamed a teammate for the injury saying, “Why you break my toe?” While Dvalishvili added in the same video that he would just cut off the toe if necessary, he said Thursday he was surprised the post received so much attention.
“I was surprised at how much reaction there was from people reacting,” Dvalishvili told reporters during a media scrum at Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas. “Everybody was like [freaking out]. Guys, it’s nothing. Really, it’s nothing.”
The cause for concern likely comes from a somewhat similar situation that unfolded prior to Dvalishvili’s title fight win over O’Malley in their first encounter this past September.
Just weeks out from UFC 306, Dvalishvili showed off a photo featuring a gnarly cut that he suffered in training, which led to UFC CEO Dana White calling him “next-level stupid” for posting it on social media. While the cut didn’t endanger the fight in any way, White still blasted Dvalishvili for making the news public in the first place.
This time around, White hasn’t weighed in on Dvalishvili’s decision to reveal his toe injury leading into the second fight against O’Malley, but it’s safe to assume his reaction would be similar.
Dvalishvili took a moment to show off his foot to prove his toe already looked better and that he never expected the injury to actually affect his performance.
“As you guys see, no more black and blue, still a little fat but it’s good,” Dvalishvili said. “As you see, I’m walking. It’s a little pinky toe, it won’t be any problem. … like I said, I have nine other toes. I’m good.”
Obviously, Dvalishvili isn’t concerned about the toe injury and it appears he’s more than ready to defend his title for a second time after vanquishing Umar Nurmagomedov back in January.
Dvalishvili vs. O’Malley 2 headlines UFC 316 from the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., on June 7 with women’s bantamweight champion Julianna Peña defending her belt against Kayla Harrison in the co-main event.
