Merab Dvalishvili had plenty of his own problems to worry about heading into UFC 311.
Following his incredible decision win over the previously unbeaten Umar Nurmagomedov in Saturday’s co-main event, both men used part of their post-fight interview time to discuss injuries. Nurmagomedov specifically noted that he may have broken his left hand in Round 1, while Dvalishvili was cut off by interviewer Joe Rogan before he could elaborate on his own issues.
At the evening’s post-fight press conference, the UFC bantamweight champion was asked for his thoughts on Nurmagomedov’s injury and he believes he was suffering from far worse in the months leading up to this fight.
“I broke my back in training camp and it was some days I cannot get up from the bed,” Dvalishvili said. “I was laid down and I don’t have a training camp and I don’t have a Khabib Nurmagomedov to help me to train. Some days the P.I. was closed. It was Christmas and it was New Year’s and weekends and it happened a couple of times Umar was there and the security goes, ‘I’m sorry. We cannot let you go in.’
“I’m not making this excuse. You’re a f*cking fighter and you’ve got to find a way to win. It might happen, maybe, I don’t know, but after he disrespected me, he said so many bullshit things. I don’t know, as a fighter I respect him. God bless him, I wish him all the best, but it’s a fight, but guess what? Who broke his hand?”
Whatever maladies the fighters were dealing with, it didn’t seem to drag either of them down too much. Dvalishvili pushed his relentless pace as always, eventually overwhelming a game Nurmagomedov, who challenged Dvalishvili with several thrilling exchanges on the feet and on the mat.
According Dvalishvili, it wasn’t just his back that had recently given him problems, he also had to deal with a cut on his leg that was bothering him up until the middle of UFC 311 fight week.
“In November, I got big cuts on my leg,” Dvalishvili said. “This just healed up Wednesday and closed, finally. It was big cuts, it was taking so long to heal up, and then it gets infected, and then every time somebody touch me and I was doing wrestling or kicking, it was so painful. That was a challenge for this training camp.”
“Then I had this fight and I’m laid down in my bed, I’m depressed, I cannot go gym,” he continued. “Umar Nurmagomedov is talking trash, ‘Merab will pull out. I won’t be surprised if Merab pull out.’ I’m like, ‘No! I’m not going to pull out.’ I never pull out.”
Dvalishvili joked that he is ready to fight again next week if called upon, but the bantamweight king may want to take some time off after logging his first successful title defense. He had previously complained about the timing of his fight with Nurmagomedov, though he said he felt he owed it to the UFC to accept the Jan. 18 date because of everything the promotion had done for him.
Having knocked off one of the boogeymen of the division as well as several legends and former world champions already, it’s unclear what’s next for Dvalishvili, though he’s ready for whatever the matchmakers give him.
“I want to fight the best guys in the division, like I always do,” Dvalishvili said. “That’s what excites me, the next best challenge. But I think I beat everybody in this division, but we’ll see whoever is the next best challenge. I think also [Sean] O’Malley, he was complaining about something and he really has a chance. We know he can really knock people out if he lands on you, he has a big chance. I see him as a challenge, too. Maybe he will make some changes this time and maybe we go toe-to-toe this time and it’s going to be a good fight, I think.
“But I’m a champion now, they have to call me out, and I’m ready to come back quick as soon as UFC wants me to come back.”
