Merab Dvalishvili Suffers A Broken Nose

Merab Dvalishvili revealed he has a broken nose that could keep him for up to twelve months.

The setback is a blow to Dvalishvili’s momentum. His 14-fight winning streak ended when he lost his bantamweight belt to Petr Yan in a UFC 323 loss last December. With their record tied at 1-1, a summer rubber match was the most anticipated championship rematch.

The injury occurred when Dvalishvili leaned into a mistimed knee, resulting in a nasal fracture. Following a consult with a specialist in Nevada, Merab was told the damage was both deep and structural. He was warned that returning too soon could lead to a permanent collapse of his facial features.

Despite his reputation as the most durable athlete in the division, medical experts have prescribed a 9 to 12-month ban on contact training to allow the shattered bone fragments to properly heal. Given Merab’s status as the top-ranked contender, his long-term absence has sparked rumors that the UFC may introduce an interim belt later this year to keep the top of the division moving.

Merab Reacts

“What a good day, and a stupid accident, again. My nose is f—- up. Even more cracked in the same direction, my bones are broken inside and on one side I can’t even breathe. Doing an X-Ray now, and I’m sure the UFC will help me with that, even though I don’t have a fight coming up. I’m going to try the surgery to fix [my nose]. I was just sparring and I got knee’d.

“So the doctor’s going to fix my nose and then straighten it. He has to re-break the other bones, too, and it’ll take one more year to heal up. Of course, I don’t want to do that, and otherwise he said to keep it this way and you can do surgery after you retire. But I’m not going to retire [within] the next few years. I guess I’m keeping my nose even more crooked than it was before, and I’ll deal with it,” Dvalishvili said