Newly minted bantamweight world champion Merab Dvalishvili received into it with a fan whereas exiting Accor Area.
‘The Machine’ was available for UFC Paris on Saturday, taking in all of the motion, together with a bloody major occasion conflict between Renato Moicano and Benoit Saint-Denis that got here to a crashing halt following the second spherical. The evening additionally noticed Bryan Battle, Fares Ziam, and Morgan Charriere rating a trio of highlight-reel knockouts as a part of the primary card.
Whereas exiting the sector following the festivities, Dvalishvili was provoked by an unruly fan and needed to be held again by safety.
It’s definitely not the primary time Dvalishvili has tried to go toe-to-toe with a heckler.
In August, the Georgian hopped a gate whereas attending the Craig Jones Invitational in Las Vegas after a fan seated behind him spouted some verbal abuse directed his approach. Dvalishvili approached the fan in his seat and grabbed him by the hair earlier than being escorted away by safety workers.
He’s fortunate Dvalishvili didn’t give him the Arman Tsarukyan remedy.
Merab Dvalishvili presents quick rematch to Sean O’malley
When he’s not busy making an attempt to throw arms with unruly followers, Merab Dvalishvili has been having fun with his first UFC title reign following a dominant displaying towards ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley at UFC 306.
‘The Machine’ has not but booked his first title protection, however all indicators level towards ‘The Machine’ squaring off with No. 2 ranked contender Umar Nurmagomedov — whether or not he likes it or not.
Just lately, Dvalishvili responded to O’Malley’s current claims that he gained their assembly at this yr’s Noche UFC occasion. Spoiler alert: O’Malley undoubtedly didn’t win the struggle, however ‘The Machine’ is greater than keen to provide ‘Sugar’ a rematch in November when the promotion heads again to MSG.
“I hear O’Malley thinks he gained the struggle and is searching for a rematch,” Dvalishvili posted on X. “If he needs it he can have it. Let’s do it November sixteenth on the Backyard after which I’ll nonetheless defend the title towards whoever the UFC needs me to struggle subsequent. What do you assume? @SugaSeanMMA”
With O’Malley scheduled to bear surgical procedure to restore a torn labrum on October 3, there’s seemingly no likelihood we’ll see ‘Sugar’ step contained in the Octagon anytime quickly. In reality, the previous bantamweight titleholder is anticipated to be on the shelf for a minimum of 6-8 months, although there’s a risk that his time on the sideline might prolong into the fourth quarter of 2025.
