With UFC 306 less than five weeks away, a facial laceration to one of the main event competitors sent a scare through MMA social media Tuesday.
Upcoming UFC bantamweight title challenger [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag] suffered a cut in training and posted the aftermath in videos on his Instagram page shortly thereafter.
Dvalishvili (17-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC) later commented on the post in an attempt to minimize concerns.
“Calm down – its all good- just a little training injury,” Dvalishvili wrote on Instagram. “Never pulled out of a fight – and Never will! I’m coming for you O’Malley – stronger than ever Vamos!”
UFC 306 takes place in 25 days, on Sept. 14, at Sphere in Las Vegas.
Dvalishvili’s initial post was captionless and drew a reaction from O’Malley (18-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC), who wrote, “This little f*ckin rat better not pull out I swear to god,” on X shortly thereafter.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C-6QeQeStKh/
Dvalishvili’s manager, Oren Hodak, of KO Reps, reiterated his client’s message when talking to MMA Junkie on Tuesday and said they do not believe the fight will be impacted.
Hodak later posted a similar message on X, using more floral language.
You think a few stitches 25 days out is going to affect Mexican Merab?
Just need a little salt on the wound….. no suga needed! #ufcsphere #ufcnoche— KOreps (@ko_reps) August 21, 2024
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