We finally know Merab Dvalishvili's mystery injury and other roadblocks leading up to UFC 311: "I don't have a Khabib Nurmagomedov"

Merab Dvalishvili has provided a detailed look at the injuries and other roadblocks he battled before fighting Umar Nurmagomedov. Additionally, Ariel Helwani highlighted a worrisome staph infection the Georgian-American combatant suffered.

Dvalishvili notched his first UFC bantamweight title defense by beating Dagestan's Nurmagomedov via unanimous decision in the co-headlining match of UFC 311 (Jan. 18, 2025). A cousin of legendary MMA fighter-turned-coach Khabib Nurmagomedov, Umar Nurmagomedov was unbeaten until his fight against Dvalishvili.

During his post-fight octagon interview with Joe Rogan, Umar suggested that he believed he'd won the fight. He further indicated he'd like to re-watch it. 'Young Eagle' claimed he felt he'd broken his hand in the first round, which impacted his performance.

Meanwhile, Merab Dvalishvili spoke to UFC CEO and president Dana White and Rogan about his injuries. During his post-fight octagon interview with Rogan, Dvalishvili underscored that he had a "big cut" on his leg and "an infection," something fans noticed before the fight.

Dvalishvili emphasized that he'd been dealing with a "lower back" injury during his training camp but fought because he wanted to contribute to the UFC, which he said has given him everything.

Watch Merab Dvalishvili's interview below:

Around the 8:45-minute mark of his UFC 311 post-fight press conference, Merab Dvalishvili showed off the cuts on his right leg. Dvalishvili laughingly suggested that he'd suffered a back injury while lifting his friends running uphill, and doing heavy lifting/workouts outdoors when filming for UFC Embedded for UFC 311.

Detailing the roadblocks in his training, Dvalishvili stated:

"I break my back during the training camp. And it was -- some days, I cannot get up from the bed. And I was laid down. And I don't have a training camp. And I don't have a Khabib Nurmagomedov to help me to training."

Dvalishvili alluded to the UFC PI [Performance Institute] barring him a few times, as Umar Nurmagomedov was training there. He implied that he'd missed weekends, Christmas, and New Year training opportunities there:

"I'm not making this excuse. You are a f**king fighter. And you gotta find a way to win. It may happen, maybe. I don't know. But after he disrespect me, he said so many bullsh** things, I don't know. As a fighter, I respect him. But, I don't know, who -- God bless him. I wish him all the best."

Check out Dvalishvili's comments below:

Watch Dvalishvili's press conference segment below (*comments at 7:12):

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Ariel Helwani addresses Merab Dvalishvili's pre-fight injuries after UFC 311 win over Umar Nurmagomedov

Ariel Helwani notably tweeted a clip of himself, from his Uncrowned Post-Fight Show, expounding upon Merab Dvalishvili's tremendous victory against Umar Nurmagomedov. He explained that someone close to Dvalishvili told him about a staph infection on his leg. Also referencing 'The Machine's' back injury, Helwani explained:

"Someone close to Merab told me that regular people would have probably had their leg amputated if they had to deal with the staph infection that he had on his leg. He was just, like, taping it up and going to practice ... Also, as he alluded to, a very, very serious back injury."

Furthermore, it's noteworthy that Dana White recently signaled that the Dvalishvili-Nurmagomedov winner could defend the bantamweight championship against 'Sugar' Sean O'Malley next.

Check out Helwani's comments below (1:01):