Merab Dvalishvili's right leg appears compromised ahead of his UFC 311 co-main event title defense.
UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili warned fans in an exclusive interview with Bloody Elbow about some ongoing health concerns ahead of his return to UFC 311. After pre-event photos were made public this week, it emerged that Dvalishvili's warnings came just hours before his fight with the undefeated Umar Nurmagomedov were sincere.
Dvalishvili will defend his first UFC bantamweight title against Nurmagomedov in the UFC 311 co-main event this Saturday in Los Angeles. Just a few months removed from his title victory over Sean O'Malley, Dvalishvili will face perhaps the toughest test of his career against Nurmagomedov, and it appears he will enter fight week at less than 100 percent health.
Fighters competing while injured is nothing new in Mixed Martial Arts. The UFC's athletes are some of the toughest men and women in and out of the cage, including Dvalishvili, who appears to be suffering from some sort of right calf ailment ahead of UFC 311.
In recently released photos from the UFC, Dvalishvili appears to have some sort of bruise/tear on his right calf. Fans quickly took notice of the apparent injury on social media and immediately wondered why the Dvalishvili vs. Nurmagomedov fight would go ahead as planned.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Fans are less hopeful about Merab Dvalishvili's chances at UFC 311
“This is rough. a) will he wear a calf sleeve like Rockhold once did? B) why did he feel pressured to take the fight since he is the champion? wrote one fan.
“I don't like this about Merab, he rushed to the fight and is very emotional.”
'Why does he start sparring without pads? This is what it looks like to me.”
“When I see this, it suggests that it should be postponed for medical reasons. The fans deserve to see him and Umar compete 100%.”
“The UFC hates him for bullying their precious O'Malley and has some pretty messed up tactics.”
Dvalishvili told Bloody Elbow that his pre-fight injury issues weren't enough for him to consider withdrawing from UFC 311. He declined to elaborate further on the extent of the injuries, fearing “panicked” fans telling him to do so weekend would see him return to the Octagon.
Dvalishvili could explain some of his pre-fight health concerns following UFC 311, but for now concerns about his physical well-being ahead of Saturday's event are high.
Merab Dvalishvili booked co-main for UFC 311 despite an apparent leg injury
Dvalishvili could potentially enter the Octagon on Saturday with some sort of sleeve/extra protection for his leg, especially against the kick-heavy Nurmagomedov. At the time of writing, the fight remains intact and will continue as planned.
Dvalishvili's first bantamweight title defense comes amid an 11-fight winning streak, including victories over former UFC champions Petr Yan and José Aldo. He also secured a bantamweight title with a dominant performance against former bantamweight champion Henry Cejudo at UFC 298 last February.
Umar, the cousin of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov, earned the title shot after a victory over Cory Sandhagen at UFC Abu Dhabi last year. He is undefeated in his UFC tenure with recent wins over Bekzat Almakhan and Raoni Barcelos.
Hours away from UFC 311, Dvalishvili's health is a major storyline ahead of fight night. In the meantime, Dvalishvili appears on course to fight on Saturday, albeit at less than 100 percent health.
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