If there’s a handbook for how to survive as a UFC champion, Merab Dvalishvili probably hasn’t read it - or if he has, he’s using it as a doorstop while he limps into another training session. Known for his tireless motor and a stubborn disregard for medical advice, Dvalishvili has turned fighting hurt into something of an art form. With his coach John Wood ready to call it like he sees it and the champ himself unfazed by the latest collection of bruises, breaks, and commission-dodging pant tricks, Dvalishvili heads into UFC 316 looking to prove, once again, that you can’t keep a good Machine down, even if you have to check both legs to be sure.
Merab Dvalishvili’s coach, John Wood, isn’t one for sugarcoating. When asked about his fighter’s latest training camp, Wood didn’t mince words speaking in an interview with Submission Radio: “The last camp was god-awful. It was terrible as far as injury goes, terrible. I'd be lying if I didn't think about trying to pull him out.” The reigning UFC champion, known for his relentless style and iron will, apparently spent much of his camp hobbling around on a leg that, by Wood’s account, should have kept him out of the cage altogether.
Merab Dvalishvili Is Always Injured
But Dvalishvili is nothing if not resourceful. When it came time for the athletic commission’s inspection, he simply “pulled the old pant trick—the one-legged show, showed them the same leg twice, and they bought it.” Wood admits, “If the guy wasn't dumb and you guys weren't able to pull this off, maybe there wouldn't have been a fight.” It’s the kind of move that would make a magician proud, and it kept Merab Dvalishvili’s title defense on track.
This isn’t a one-off for the champ. Dvalishvili has made a habit of fighting through injuries, rarely letting the world in on just how banged up he is. “He loves to rattle everybody up,” Wood says. “As much as people think, ‘Oh, that's stupid,’ or, ‘this or that,’ he would never post something that was going to take him out of a fight. If he's posting something, it's really not that bad.” In reference to his recent post showing a broken toe. The coach insists that every fighter heads into battle with a few dents and dings, but Merab Dvalishvili seems to take it to another level, brushing off broken toes and battered limbs as just part of the job.
UFC 316
With a title reign built on grit and a reputation for being unbreakable, Dvalishvili is now gearing up for another big test at UFC 316. Despite the injuries, the weight cuts, and the occasional need for a little sleight of hand, Wood says there’s no keeping his fighter out of the Octagon. “You'll really have to kill him to keep him out of the cage. It would have to be something that's physically not working. His leg could have been hanging on by the tendons, it wouldn't have mattered. He's ready to go."
The bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili is set to headline UFC 316 in Newark, New Jersey, on June 7, defending his bantamweight title in a high-stakes rematch against Sean O’Malley. The last time these two met, Dvalishvili’s relentless wrestling and pressure left O’Malley on the wrong end of a unanimous decision, derailing the “Sugar” show and crowning Dvalishvili as champion. Now, O’Malley is back, surgically repaired and promising a sharper performance, while Dvalishvili rolls into fight week with a fractured toe and a grin, joking on social media that he might just “cut it off” rather than let it slow him down.
As UFC 316 approaches, fans can expect to see the same Merab Dvalishvili: battered, yes, but never beaten.
