Merab Dvalishvili Shares How A Regular Sparring Session Led To A Major Injury

Merab Dvalishvili (Image Credits: Imagn)

Merab Dvalishvili Shares How A Regular Sparring Session Led To A Major Injury

Originally posted on Total Pro Sports | By Pavan Sharma | Last updated Apr 14, 2026 3:55 PM ET

The former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili was already dealing with the fallout of dropping the belt to Petr Yan at UFC 323. A defeat that snapped his 14-fight winning streak and ended his reign at 135 pounds. A rematch was the obvious next step. Then a sparring session got in the way, where he broke his nose.

Dvalishvili explained exactly how it happened. His training partner, Adam, who knows his style inside and out, caught him by surprise. It was someone he had trained with for years, landing a shot in the one place he almost never gets hit. The losses keep piling up for Dvalishvili, and now he can add a broken nose to the list.

“My friend Adam knows my style well. Every time I spar with him, he times me perfectly – he hits me in the chest and forehead, but never on my nose. This time, though, he kneed me in the nose, which broke it,” Dvalishvili said.

Merab Dvalishvili reveals his sparring partner broke his nose after knowing his style

"My friend Adam knows my style well. Every time I spar with him, he times me perfectly – he hits me in the chest and forehead, but never on my nose. This time, though, he kneed me in the… pic.twitter.com/EW8g1v3206
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) April 14, 2026

Dvalishvili was already in a difficult spot mentally after losing the belt and the streak in the same night. Yan looked sharp and in control throughout the fight, while ‘The Machine’ could not find the pace and pressure that made him champion. The rematch wasn’t just about the belt; it was personal.

Merab Dvalishvili Reveals He Won’t Fix Broken Nose Due To One-Year Recovery

The recovery time for surgery is a full year, and that’s simply not a trade he’s willing to make with a rematch on his mind. So instead he’s pushing through it, breathing out of one side of his nose, and accepting that his face is going to look a little more crooked than it did before.

“I can’t even breathe on one side. I guess I’m keeping my nose even more crooked than it was before and deal with it,” Dvalishvili said.

Merab Dvalishvili shattered his nose from a knee in training but he’s not getting it fixed because the recovery time is one year

“I can’t even breathe on one side.

I guess I’m keeping my nose even more crooked than it was before and deal with it.” pic.twitter.com/7ZJgYuDbw7
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) April 2, 2026

‘The Machine’ built his entire career on absorbing discomfort and refusing to slow down. Fourteen fights in a row, relentless pace, never taking the easy path. Meanwhile, the hunger for that rematch isn’t going anywhere. The nose just has to keep up.

This article first appeared on Total Pro Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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