Merab Dvalishvili didn’t lie when he said he was compromised ahead of his successful UFC 311 bantamweight title defense against Umar Nurmagomedov.
Dvalishvili (19-4 MMA, 12-2 UFC) suffered several cuts to his right leg after colliding with a staircase before last Saturday’s unanimous decision victory over Nurmagomedov (18-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) . The wounds, which he said only healed just before fight week, were still evident when he entered the octagon at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
According to Dvalishvili during an interview Monday on “The Ariel Helwani Show,” he was concerned that the California State Athletic Commission would remove him from competition. To avoid this, he revealed that he hid the damage during a physical check.
“California has a very strict commission,” Dvalishvili said. “The commission guy asked me to show him my shin, so I lifted my left pants to show him my shin. He continued talking and then asked to show my other leg, so I showed him my left leg again and he never knew about the cut.
It’s absolutely crazy 😅
Merab talks about being cleared by the CSAC with a cut leg ahead of UFC 311.
“I was afraid the commission wouldn’t let me fight… California has a very strict commission… The commission guy asked me to show me my shin, so I raised my… pic.twitter.com/MqNG2bIn3o
-Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) January 20, 2025
Dvalishvili said 27 stitches were needed on his leg, and he has now revealed video and images on social media of the moment it first happened. Swipe over the Instagram carousel post below, but be warned, it’s not for the faint of heart.
Despite the adversity, Dvalishvili handed Nurmagomedov his first career loss in Fight of the Night at UFC 311. He is now on a 12-fight win streak inside the octagon and looks poised to become a dominant champion at 135 pounds.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.