Merab Dvalishvili reveals bloody cut on leg before UFC 311 title defense

Merab Dvalishvili had a bad leg at UFC 311, but no one seemed to notice.

Somehow, Dvalishvili not only successfully defended his bantamweight title with a masterful five-round performance against Umar Nurmagomedov in Saturday’s co-main event, but also suffered injuries that could have kept him out of the fight. He also succeeded in hiding it.

In the evening’s post-game press conference, Dvalishvili showed the media evidence of two cuts on his right foot, and followed up on Monday with a pre-game post on social media.

Click on the first slide to see photos and video of Dvalishvili’s bloody wound.

Dvalishvili appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show on Monday to further discuss the injury and reveal that he actually had to play a trick on the commission to ensure he would play.

“I was doing aerobic training on the stairs and my shin hit the stairs,” Dvalishvili said.

“The wound was still open and took a very long time to heal, but it finally closed during match week,” he continued. “I was worried that the commission wouldn’t let me fight. I was applying creams every day, getting massages, doing therapy, everything. In fact, California We have a very strict committee. They inspect everything, including my body, and on Thursday. I was wearing pants and the committee asked me to show my legs and shins. I pulled up my left leg pants to show him my chin and he kept talking, the second time. He asked me to show him my other leg, so I showed him my left leg again, and he didn’t notice there was a cut.

“You know what? Maybe I could pass. But I was worried. It looks fresh, but it’s been cut for a long time.”