Merab Dvalishvili utilized some trickery to ensure an injury went unnoticed during medical checks ahead of UFC 311 — and it's not a particularly strong advertisement for the California State Athletic Commission's due diligence...
Dvalishvili — the reigning bantamweight champion on MMA's biggest stage — returned for his first title defense this past weekend, co-headlining the opening pay-per-view event of 2025 opposite undefeated challenger Umar Nurmagomedov.
"The Machine" once again lived up to his moniker, putting on a relentless pace inside the cage that ultimately proved to be the difference, as he outpointed his Dagestani rival across five rounds at Inglewood's Intuit Dome.
To make the result even more impressive, the Georgian was seemingly far from 100 percent in the lead-up. He notably sustained a deep cut to his shin just weeks before fight night that even became infected.
While that left the status of his clash against Nurmagomedov up in the air, nothing was going to stop Dvalishvili from making the walk in Los Angeles — pre-fight medical checks includes.
During an appearance on Monday's episode of The Ariel Helwani Show on Uncrowned, "The Machine" explained how he was able to make the wound on his shin go undetected.
I was worried the commission was not going to let me fight. ... California has a very strict commission," Dvalishvili said. "The commission guy asked me to show me him my shin, so I lifted my left leg pant to show him my shin. He kept talking and then asked to show my other leg, so I showed him my left leg again and then he never knew about the cut.
Suffice it to say that one CSAC member isn't too hard to dupe.
Dvalishvili will have been ecstatic that his deception paid off, as he put on a clinic in the final three frames of the UFC 311 co-headliner to keep hold of the bantamweight championship and extend his reign beyond its first hurdle.