Merab Dvalishvili suffers injury weeks out from UFC 316 rematch with Sean O’Malley

"The Machine" shared the news on his Instagram story.

Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Devalishvili revealed that he’s sustained a nasty injury during camp for his upcoming title defense against Sean O’Malley.

“The Machine” joined the UFC in 2017 and dropped his first two fights with the promotion, but since then Dvalishvili has put together an incredible 12-fight win streak that saw him claim the UFC bantamweight belt from O’Malley at UFC 306 last year.

The 34-year-old successfully defended his title against undefeated contender Umar Nurmagomedov in January, and now he’s set to square off with O’Malley again in the main event of UFC 316 on June 7.

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Merab Dvalishvili (red gloves) celebrates after winning a UFC bantamweight title fight against Umar Nurmagomedov (not pictured) during UFC 311 at Intuit Dome. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Dvalishvili Suffers Injury During Training

Now just two weeks out from UFC 316, Dvalishvili revealed on a recent Instagram story that he apparently broke his toe during a training session.

Merab Dvalishvili injures his toe just 2 weeks out from the Sean O'Malley rematch 😅

"It's okay, I'm gonna cut it off."

🎥 IG / vato.gv #UFC316 pic.twitter.com/91YVmKSWAh

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) May 23, 2025

The Georgian handled the injury with the same type of humor that fans have come to expect by claiming that he was going to “cut it off”, but this time last year Conor McGregor famously withdrew from his return fight against Michael Chandler when he broke one of his toes.

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UFC 316 Main Event Not In Jeopardy Yet

There doesn’t seem to be any serious concern at the moment that Dvalishvili may withdrew from UFC 316, and “The Machine” will have to be at his best on June 7 given that O’Malley has recently spent time training with the likes of Demetrious Johnson and Israel Adesanya.

Sean O'Malley (blue gloves) before his fight against Petr Yan (red gloveS) during UFC 280 at Etihad Arena. | Craig Kidwell-Imagn Images

“Suga” hasn’t competed since he lost his belt via lopsided decision last September. Before coming up short against Dvalishvili, the 30-year-old was unbeaten dating back to his 2020 meeting with Marlon “Chito” Vera, which is a loss that he avenged when he bested Vera at UFC 299 for his first and only title defense.

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UFC 316 does also feature a co-main event title fight between Women’s Bantamweight Champion Julianna Peña and Kayla Harrison, and if Dvalishvili’s injury were to force him out of the event it’s possible O’Malley could be rebooked against main card fighters Mario Bautista or Patchy Mix.

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