FB TW IG YT VK TH
Search
MORE FROM OUR CHANNELS

Wrestlezone
FB TW IG YT VK TH

Merab Dvalishvili Discusses Injuries That Hindered Him During UFC 311 Training Camp



It wasn’t necessarily evident during his performance in the Octagon, but Merab Dvalishvili endured his fair share of difficulties leading up to his first bantamweight title defense.

Advertisement
After relying on his relentless pace to pull away from Umar Nurmagomedov for a unanimous decision triumph in the UFC 311 headliner at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles on Saturday night, Dvalishvili revealed some of the ailments that limited his training. While Nurmagomedov revealed that he might have broken his hand in the opening stanza, “The Machine” claims to have dealt with with plenty of adversity of his own.

“I broke my back in training camp and it was some days I cannot get up from the bed,” Dvalishvili said at the post-fight press conference. “I was laid down and I don’t have a training camp and I don’t have a Khabib Nurmagomedov to help me to train. Some days the [UFC Performance Institute] was closed. It was Christmas and it was New Year’s and weekends and it happened a couple of times Umar was there and the security goes, ‘I’m sorry. We cannot let you go in.’

“I’m not making this excuse. You’re a f—king fighter and you’ve got to find a way to win. It might happen, maybe, I don’t know, but after he disrespected me, he said so many bulls—t things. I don’t know, as a fighter I respect him. God bless him, I wish him all the best, but it’s a fight, but guess what? Who broke his hand?”

In an interview with Submission Radio, coach John Wood elaborated on the aforementioned injury, revealing that Dvalishvili suffered a pinched nerve in his back.

“The other day, UFC Embedded came by — or the [UFC Countdown] — and he was out doing his workout in the street and jumped up the wrong way and pinched a nerve,” Wood said. “[He] couldn’t walk for a week … It was a complicated camp.”

That wasn’t all. Dvalishvili also suffered a cut on his leg that eventually developed into a staph infection. Though it healed in time for the fight, it was another concern because it hindered his preparation.

“In November, I got big cuts on my leg,” Dvalishvili said. “This just healed up Wednesday and closed, finally. It was big cuts, it was taking so long to heal up, and then it gets infected, and then every time somebody touch me and I was doing wrestling or kicking, it was so painful. That was a challenge for this training camp.”

However, withdrawing from the event was never a consideration.

“Then I had this fight and I’m laid down in my bed, I’m depressed, I cannot go gym,” Dvalishvili said. “Umar Nurmagomedov is talking trash, ‘Merab will pull out. I won’t be surprised if Merab pull out.’ I’m like, ‘No! I’m not going to pull out.’ I never pull out.”

Ultimately, the Georgian grappler put forth one of his most impressive performances to date, outworking a favored opponent in the championship rounds to secure his first successful title defense. Dvalishvili’s winning streak now sits at 12, and 11 of those triumphs have occurred at 135 pounds — a figure that is among the most in UFC bantamweight history. With a resume that includes triumphs over the likes of Nurmagomedov, Sean O'Malley, Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan and Jose Aldo, “The Machine” has bested some of the top talent the division has to offer. He expects nothing different going forward.

“I want to fight with the best guys in the division, like I always do,” Dvalishvili said. “It excites me the next best challenge. That’s what excites me – fighting the next best challenge. I think I beat everybody in this division, so we’ll see who’s the next best challenge.”

O’Malley, who relinquished his title to Dvalishvili at UFC 306, was in attendance on Saturday night and has been mentioned as the next potential challenger for the champion. If that’s the case, Dvalishvili says he will be ready.

“Sean O’Malley was complaining about something, and he really has a chance,” Dvalishvili said. “We know he can knock people out if he lands on you. He has a big chance, so I see him as a challenge, too. Maybe he makes some changes this time, and we go toe to toe this time, and it will be a good fight.

“But I’m the champion now, and they have to call me out. I’m ready to come back quick, as soon as UFC wants me to come back. I respect the UFC’s decision now, and I will fight whoever will be next.”
More

Subscribe to our Newsletter

* indicates required
Latest News

POLL

Should the UFC hold fighters accountable for making controversial statements?

FIGHT FINDER


FIGHTER OF THE WEEK

Jake Paul

TOP TRENDING FIGHTERS


+ FIND MORE