Ex-UFC Champion Merab Dvalishvili Refuses Surgery After Gruesome Sparring Injury

A significant sparring injury isn’t going to keep UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili from returning to competition this month.

One of the biggest stars currently on the UFC roster, Dvalishvili put together one of the most impressive championship years in promotional history last year when he successfully defended his bantamweight belt three times after winning the title from Sean O’Malley at UFC 306.

The 35-year-old’s bid for a historic fourth title defense within a year at UFC 323 was stifled by Petr Yan, who avenged his previous loss to Dvalishvili and became a two-time bantamweight titleholder when he took a unanimous decision over the Georgian.

Merab Dvalishvili Delays Surgery To Address Broken Nose

Now nearly fourth months removed from losing his title, Dvalishvili recently shared an unfortunate update with fans via Instagram and revealed that he broke his nose during a sparring session.

“What a good day, and what a stupid accident,” Dvalishvili said. “Again, 12 years after my nose is f***ed up even worse. As you see, it’s even more cracked the same direction. When I touch, my bones are broken inside. One side, I can’t even bleed…I’m gonna try surgery to fix this nose, and let’s see how it goes. First time when I broke my nose, it was in my professional debut. Now, it was just sparring.”

“The Machine” went on to say that the x-rays confirmed his nose was broken in two places and would require surgery to fix. Rather than commit to the year of recovery outlined by the doctor, Dvalishvili will wait to address the issue until after he retires from professional fighting.

"The Machine" Set To Return This Month Before Planned Petr Yan Trilogy

The UFC star was also quick to assure fans that he’ll still be returning in just a few weeks to wrestle future UFC Hall of Famer Henry Cejudo, which will feature as the headlining attraction for Real American Freestyle 8 in Philadelphia, PA on April 18.

Merab Dvalishvili lands a hit against Henry Cejudo during UFC 298 at Honda Center. | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The bout with Cejudo (which is a rematch of their UFC 298 meeting that Dvalishvili won via unanimous decision) will see Dvalishvili return to competition just over four months after losing his title to Yan. The Georgian certainly couldn’t be blamed if he did want to go ahead and take a year off to get his nose fixed, as his initial meeting with Cejudo in early 2024 was the first of what ended up being six Octagon appearances in less than two years.

Merab Dvalishvili (red gloves) fights Petr Yan (blue gloves) during UFC 323 at T-Mobile Arena. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Dvalishvili recently revealed that both he and Yan have told the UFC they’re on board for a trilogy bout, and the current expectation is that “The Machine” will get the chance to try and reclaim his bantamweight belt from the Russian in the latter part of the summer.