At UFC 310 on Saturday, bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili was working as he stood in Aljamain Sterling's corner for his big featherweight fight against undefeated Movsar Evloev.
Unfortunately for the Serra and Longo product, he suffered his first loss at 145 pounds after three tough rounds and went on to lose a unanimous decision at UFC 310.
Despite this, fans remained relatively outraged by the decision, with much of the fanbase believing that Aljamain Sterling did enough during the first two rounds to take the win.
Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images
Merab Dvalishvili gets into a fight with a fan after Sterling's UFC 310 loss
However, it was what happened after Sterling's fight against Movsar Evloev that got fans talking, as UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili got involved in another altercation with a fan on his way backstage.
'The Machine' was in Las Vegas this past week, not only for his involvement with Sterling's corner, but because his title defense against Umar Nurmagomedov was officially confirmed for UFC 311.
He and Nurmagomedov took part in a press conference last Wednesday, with Islam Makhachev and Arman Tsarukyan also on stage.
Dvalishvili is known for taking aim at fans who have given him grief in the past. Dvalishvili was involved in an altercation at a wrestling event last September, before his fight against Sean O'Malley, which went viral.
During their walk backstage after Sterling's loss, a fan close to the barrier apparently started heckling the team, prompting a response from the Georgian.
Dvalishvili went to the barrier and started pushing the fan, but was then quickly grabbed by security as he appeared to start throwing punches towards the fan.
However, as security had their hands on Merab, another member of Sterling's corner team and current fighter on the UFC roster, Dennis Buzukja began exchanging punches with the fan standing at the barrier.
Dana White responds to Merab Dvalishvili's fan feud at UFC 310
With emotions running high after the loss of his teammate and friends, Dvalishvili's actions weren't exactly condemned by his UFC boss, Dana White.
Not only that, but 'The Machine' painted a pent-up picture during his press conference with Nurmagomedov, which has led to questions about where his head is heading into the matchup.
Since Nurmagomedov was also present at UFC 310, the UFC team made sure the seating plan was worked out so that Merab and the Russian sat separately.
“Listen, Merab is that guy. He's that guy. This is not his first altercation (with a fan),” White began explaining at the UFC 310 post-fight press conference.
“I don't know if you guys noticed at the press conference too, on the right side someone was shouting something and he was in the middle of a conversation and he looked like he was trying to see who was saying something, like what, you guys are going to run over there and also with this guy fighting?
“It's just the way he is, he's built that way and I don't know if you saw it but he wasn't in the regular fighting section, we had to move him, I had to move the other two guys to our table, we're trying this stuff defuse it before it happens… I didn't think he would get into a fight when he went outside with Aljamain.
White understands that it has become almost a regular occurrence for Dvalishvili to get involved in altercations with fans, and he has compared him to one of the most controversial fighters in the sport, Sean Strickland.
While Strickland is not known for causing controversy among fighting fans, his performances on the mic have made him the most outspoken and controversial fighter in the UFC.
“He's my mini (Sean) Strickland, with no mouth. What are you doing?” White comic finished.
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