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UFC Coach Reveals He Nearly Pulled Out 'Half-Dead' Champion from Title Defense Due to Severe Medical Issues

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Michael Aldon | Last updated May 19, 2025 9:05 PM ET

Merab Dvalishvili has built an impressive name for himself as the bantamweight champion since winning the belt when he defeated then-champion Sean O’Malley at UFC 306. Nicknamed “The Machine” due to his gritty, cardio-reliant, never-say-die attitude in the Octagon, he has built a reputation on his toughness during fights. Even if he fails to secure a takedown, what makes him dangerous is his mentality to shoot for another, results be damned. He may not be the most technical or “pretty” fighter to watch, but no one can deny he has an unshakeable will to win at whatever cost.

Recently, it was revealed that the UFC bantamweight champion’s first title defense at UFC 311 against Umar Nurmagomedov was nearly scrapped after his coach, John Wood, considered withdrawing him due to a severe staph infection and open wound.

Wood revealed that Dvalishvili was heading into the fight battling antibiotics, pain, and a gruesome staph infection that risked his clearance. Despite the dire circumstances, Dvalishvili insisted on competing, showcasing his trademark toughness in a gritty five-round decision win..

"Merab was half-dead for that fight,” Wood said during an interview with MMA Fighting. “He had an open wound, he had a staph infection, he was on all kinds of antibiotics."

Wood even admitted, “If it was up to me, honestly, I probably would’ve pulled him out of the fight... That dude could barely walk, but then he’d go spar ten rounds and look phenomenal.”

Ahead of his rematch with Sean O’Malley at UFC 316, a fight which some believe is UFC President Dana White's way of angling for a more marketable bantamweight champion, Wood believes that “The Machine” will continue to leave fans in awe of his toughness and prove his doubters wrong.

“The way that Merab fights, what he brings to the table is just different. People do not understand it,” Wood remarked. “Sean kind of knows that now. Tim [Welch] knows that... I think it’s going to be even more defeating and deflating than it was the first time.”

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

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