Dana White has given up on trying to figure out Merab Dvalishvili.
The No. 1 contender at 135 pounds has developed a reputation for posting viral videos on social media, but his latest efforts have caused White some major frustration. Dvalishvili recently revealed a nasty cut over his left eye, which happened just weeks ahead of his main event bout with bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley at UFC 306 on Sept. 14.
White was confounded by Dvalishvili’s decision to share that injury with the public, so one can only imagine how he felt when Dvalishvili subsequently posted a follow-up in which he was seen snipping away at stitches with a large pair of scissors.
“Isn’t he awesome?” White said when asked about the clip following Tuesday’s Contender Series event at UFC APEX in Las Vegas. “I think he’s just f*cking with me now, to be honest with you.”
The extent of Dvalishvili’s injury is unknown, though it’s been cause for concern for the UFC and its fans as cuts have often led to bouts being cancelled in the past or to fighters entering their matchups with a significant handicap given that the cut could presumably be easily reopened. Dvalishvili appears to be confident that the cut is a non-issue ahead of his title challenge.
Since beginning his UFC run with back-to-back losses, Dvalishvili has rattled off 10 consecutive victories. The Georgian standout likely would have fought for a title earlier were it not held by his close friend Aljamain Sterling, who dropped the title to O’Malley at UFC 292 in August 2023.
White trusts that Dvalishvili knows what he’s doing and isn’t jeopardizing his long-awaited championship opportunity, not to mention the headlining bout of an event that White and company are promoting as the “greatest live sporting event of all time.”
“Do what you want,” White said. “You ever see the scissors they take stitches out with? They’re tiny and they have that thing on there so you don’t cut yourself. You can slide them up under the stitches, you don’t cut yourself. This guy had f*cking bush shears that he was using, that you trim your f*cking bushes with, that gardener’s use. Whatever. Good for him.”
