Despite receiving backlash for first publicizing how he suffered a nasty laceration ahead of Noche UFC from Dana White — and then after removing his stitches with garden shears, Merab Dvalishvili claims it’s like it or lump it when it comes to him.
Dvalishvili, the current number one ranked bantamweight contender, is slated to headline Noche UFC later this month at the Las Vegas Sphere, challenging for Octagon gold for the first time in a showdown against incumbent divisional champion, Sean O’Malley.
Riding an impressive 10-fight winning run, Georgian contender, Dvalishvili most recently turned in a impressive unanimous decision win over former two-weight champion, Henry Cejudo on the main card of UFC 298 back in February to finally ear his premiere title charge in the organization.
However, ahead of the long-anticipated charge with O’Malley, Dvalishvili has come under fire from White who questioned why he would first show off a cut suffered in training on social media, before turning doctor and removing his own stitches with a garden sheers.
Merab Dvalishvili unfazed by worry from UFC CEO, Dana White
And as far as Tbilisi grappler, Dvalishvili is concerned, critics should just accept him for who he is.
“I never regret what I did,” Merab Dvalishvili told MMA Junkie. “I post this because I post everything in my social media. It wasn’t a big deal because I had more than three weeks when I got cut, and I know that my cut will take five days to heal up, and then this cut didn’t affect my training, my sparring — nothing. As you see, I’m healed up. Everything is good.”
“When I saw Dana (White) was upset, of course, I don’t want to upset Dana White and the UFC or do something like that,” Merab Dvalishvili explained. “But I was very calm and relaxed because it wasn’t a big deal. I don’t regret nothing. This is who I am, this is what I do, and this is my life. That’s why I’m a fighter, and this is my life and what I do.”