Merab Dvalishvili revealed he suffered a hand injury just two weeks before he was set to headline UFC Las Vegas against Petr Yan.
Dvalishvili headlined his first UFC event tow weeks ago and it was a pivotal scrap for the division. With a win, Merab knew he would be in the title conversation. Yet, just two weeks before the fight, Dvalishvili revealed he suffered a hand injury, and just moments into the fight, he reinjured it.
Although Dvalishvili was injured, he never thought of pulling out and decided to fight. He ended up winning a dominant decision over Petr Yan, and now two weeks later, Merab revealed he is still in pain.
Two weeks before my fight I injured my hand
I was only training with one arm
During the first minutes of my fight, I could feel the pain in my hand, but I was ignoring the pain so I could fight.
During the fight I re-injured my hand and I still feel the pain in my hand today. pic.twitter.com/JzPPq121U4
— Merab “The Machine” Dvalishvili (@MerabDvalishvil) March 23, 2023
“Two weeks before my fight I injured my hand I was only training with one arm During the first minutes of my fight, I could feel the pain in my hand, but I was ignoring the pain so I could fight. During the fight I re-injured my hand and I still feel the pain in my hand today,” Dvalishvili wrote.
As you can see in the video, before and after the fight, Dvalishvili’s hand was swollen. The injury also forced him to not train with his hand, but he still fought and put on a great performance to get the win.
It’s currently unknown how serious Dvalishvili’s hand injury is as the bantamweight contender didn’t say how long he will be out.
Merab Dvalishvili (16-4) extended his win streak to nine last time out with a dominant decision win over Yan at UFC Las Vegas. The win made him the number-one ranked bantamweight contender. Prior to the win over the Russian, Dvalishvili had beaten the likes of Jose Aldo, Marlon Moraes, Cody Stamann, John Dodson, and Casey Kenney among others.
Who would you like to see Merab Dvalishvili fight next after his win over Petr Yan? Sound off in the comment section, PENN Nation!
