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Merab Dvalishvili has been booked to weigh in as the official backup/replacement fighter for the headlining matchup of UFC 299.
The much-awaited UFC 299 pay-per-view (PPV) event, which will transpire on Saturday, March 9, 2024, would see UFC bantamweight champion 'Sugar' Sean O'Malley put his title on the line against Marlon 'Chito' Vera. MMA fans have now chimed in with their reactions to Dvalishvili's addition to the mix.
Earlier this week, Oren Hodak from KO Reps confirmed to MMA Junkie that Dvalishvili would partake in the UFC 299 weigh-ins this Friday (March 8, 2024). 'The Machine' would have to make the 135-pound bantamweight title fight weight to be eligible to serve as the backup/replacement fighter for the O'Malley-Vera matchup.
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If either O'Malley or 'Chito' withdraws from UFC 299 owing to injury and/or other reasons, Dvalishvili will step in and compete in the event's headlining match.
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The MMA community has now touched upon the same, with many X users suggesting that Merab Dvalishvili can defeat both Sean O'Malley and Marlon Vera. One fan tweeted that 'The Machine' could capture the bantamweight belt.
Another fan alluded to the rumors that, per former UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, Ecuador's Vera has had a bad fight camp. On that note, the fan indicated that 'Chito' might not compete at UFC 299. Some netizens insinuated that the Ecuadorian is the only fighter with an MMA victory over O'Malley and that the latter won't fight at UFC 299 if he (Vera) pulls out.
An X user opined that they hope someone sustains an injury and Dvalishvili steps in to compete. Another user appeared to suggest that 'The Machine' would simply attempt to turn a possible clash against striking savant O'Malley into a grappling-centric fight. Furthermore, some tweeted that Dvalishvili is a tougher matchup for O'Malley and is a future champion.
Meanwhile, others forewarned that the Georgian MMA stalwart fought recently, beating Henry Cejudo at UFC 298 (Feb. 17, 2024), and shouldn't make a hasty turnaround at UFC 299 (March 9, 2024). One X user lauded Dvalishvili and tweeted:
"beats both of them"
Check out the screenshots of a few fan reactions below:
A closer look at Merab Dvalishvili's recent run in the UFC
Merab Dvalishvili made his professional MMA debut in January 2014 and competed in his maiden UFC matchup in December 2017. His last MMA defeat was a third-round submission loss against Ricky Simon at a UFC Fight Night event in April 2018. Following that, Dvalishvili has amassed a 10-fight win streak.
Moreover, Merab Dvalishvili's past three octagon appearances have witnessed him secure victories over former UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo, former UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan, and former UFC flyweight and bantamweight kingpin Henry Cejudo.
Dvalishvili's most recent fight, his clash against Cejudo, was one wherein he dominantly out-wrestled and beat the 2008 freestyle wrestling Olympic gold medalist via unanimous decision.
