Merab Dvalishvili is due for a title fight in just a few weeks. Unfortunately, he updated about injuring his toe in a recent sparring session. Now, with the news of his broken toe spreading like wildfire, speculations about Dvalishvili possibly withdrawing from the fight started doing the rounds. However, in a recent statement issued by his team, Dvalishvili has no intentions of playing a spoilsport. Thus, the rematch with Sean O’Malley is still very much on!
Dvalishvili’s coach, John Wood, recently appeared on the ‘Submission Radio’ podcast. Quite expectedly, he was asked about the well being of the UFC bantamweight champion. Instantly, Wood dismissed all the rumors. He opined that a broken toe was not going to stop Dvalisvili from defending his title.
“I’m sure he broke his toe… That’s nothing compared to some of the things we’ve had going into a lot of the fights… He’s going to show up and do his job no matter what,” said Wood.
Merab's coach isn't worried about his toe injury ahead of #UFC316:
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) May 26, 2025
"I'm sure he broke his toe… That's nothing compared to some of the things we've had going into a lot of the fights…
He's going to show up and do his job no matter what."
(via. @SubmissionRadio) #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/ZBMoEowtV5
Surely, such confidence oozing out of Wood’s voice is a positive sign. Afterall, Dvalishvili has been on the rise recently. After winning the title from O’Malley, the Georgian put up a stunning show to outplay Umar Nurmagomedov. However, as he braces for a rematch against Sean O’Malley, Dvalishvili is finding it difficult to get motivated.
Merab Dvalishvili Suffers From Lack Of Motivation
Merab Dvalshvili has already fought Sean O’Malley before. Fighting as a challenger, Dvalishvili put up a dominant performance to win all the 5 rounds. His ground work was commanding and Dvalishvili made life extremely difficult for ‘Suga.’ Now, with O’Malley looking to avenge his loss, the Georgian stated that he is finding it hard to get motivated.
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“It’s hard to motivate myself because I’m fighting the same guy,” said Dvalishvili.
"It's hard to motivate myself because I'm fighting the same guy." — Merab Dvalishvili on rematch with Sean O'Malley 🥱
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) May 25, 2025
🎥 @ufc pic.twitter.com/uSKiqmhukY
Thus, with the situation heating up, it now remains to be seen how the fight will pan out.
