Merab Dvalishvili is once again pushing the limits — and possibly Dana White’s patience — with his all-or-nothing training style ahead of UFC 320.
The reigning bantamweight champion, known for his relentless pace inside the Octagon, is preparing for his third title defense since claiming the belt just a year ago. After defeating Umar Nurmagomedov and securing a second win over Sean O’Malley, the Georgian powerhouse now sets his sights on Cory Sandhagen for their October 4 showdown.
But here’s where it gets controversial: despite past close calls with injuries before big fights, Dvalishvili hasn’t toned things down one bit.
Recently, UFC flyweight legend Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson dropped in on Dvalishvili’s camp at 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu in Las Vegas. What he witnessed was far from a light sparring session. Dvalishvili went head-to-head in a gritty grappling exchange with UFC’s youngest-ever fighter, Raul Rosas Jr. The result? Rosas Jr. walked away with a bloodied nose, and Johnson shaking his head.
“It looked like him and Merab went a little too hard,” Johnson remarked in a video later posted online. “I’m not a big fan of that. They’ve both got to make it to the fight — that’s where the money is.”
And this is the part most people miss: Rosas Jr. didn’t even make it to his most recent scheduled fight, pulling out due to a rib injury. While unrelated to this session, it adds fuel to the debate over whether fighters should risk going full throttle in camp.
For Dvalishvili, this isn’t new territory. Fans still remember the chaos before his first fight with O’Malley in 2024, when he suffered a nasty cut during wrestling practice just weeks before the event. Instead of keeping it quiet, he posted the injury online — a move that infuriated Dana White.
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