UFC fighter Merab Dvalishvili affirms his upcoming bout with Sean O'Malley at UFC 316 is on, in spite of a finger injury.
UFC Lightweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili recently shared a video of his swollen right big toe, attributed to a workout, with a jesting implication towards his gym partner. In a light-hearted manner, Dvalishvili joked about potentially amputating the digit, but expressed surprise at the attention it received.
During a media gathering at Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas, Dvalishvili, affectionately known as "The Machine," expressed his surprise at the public reaction, stating, "Everyone started panicking. Guys, it's nothing. Seriously, no big deal."
The concern appears to stem from a similar incident prior to his first encounter with O'Malley last September. A few weeks before UFC 253, Dvalishvili posted a picture of a serious training injury. Then-UFC president Dana White deemed the social media post as "incredibly stupid." For the impending UFC 263, the promotion has yet to comment on the matter. The highly anticipated rematch with O'Malley is slated for June 12.
In a broader context, there is no officially documented history of Dvalishvili suffering a finger injury before the UFC 263 rematch with O'Malley, nor is there a confirmed rematch scheduled for UFC 263 or any subsequent event in major records or injury reports. Discussions on social media platforms suggest an injury involving Dvalishvili ahead of a potential upcoming fight with O'Malley, but these do not specify the nature of the injury, confirm a rematch, or provide historical context about a previous finger injury before such a bout.
As of now, there is no record of Dvalishvili having reacted to or missed a fight due to a finger injury before a high-profile bout with O'Malley, according to mainstream MMA news and official UFC documentation.
Bookmakers might have a different perspective regarding Dvalishvili's fitness for his mixed-martial-arts fights, considering the concern over his toe and the potential impact it could have on his performance, particularly in the upcoming rematch with O'Malley.
Despite the speculation on social media, sports fans and bookmakers alike may find it intriguing if Dvalishvili decides to compete in a mixed-martial-arts event while dealing with a finger injury, given his previous workout-related toe issue and the absence of documented history of such an injury before high-profile bouts.
