UFC President Dana White criticizes Merab Dvalishvili’s “stupid, unbelievable” video

UFC President Dana White has sharply criticized Merab Dvalishvili for releasing footage showing a cut on his face three weeks before the fight between Georgian and Sean O’Malley.

Dvalishvili will challenge O’Malley for the men’s bantamweight title in a main event at the Sphere in Las Vegas on September 14.

And Dvalishvili drew White’s ire on Tuesday (August 20) by posting footage on Instagram showing a cut above his eye.

When asked what he knew about the cut, White said at a press conference: “The whole world knows about Merab’s cut, he posted it. Our guys are so stupid, it’s just unbelievable.”

“All the stuff I [criticise] As far as boxing goes, I give boxing something, if something happens in a camp… man, let me tell you something: It doesn’t leak out.

“Our guys can’t fucking wait to post it on social media. It’s a small cut, no big deal, but obviously it had to be posted.”

When a journalist highlighted the renowned precision of O’Malley’s punches and said that Dvalishvili might have given the American a target in their fight, White added: “And why the hell would you [O’Malley] to know that?

“It’s absolutely insane. Some of these guys are so stupid it blows your mind. It’s unbelievable.”

O’Malley responded to footage of Dvalishvili’s cut by tweeting, “That little damn rat better not pull out I swear to God,” to which his opponent replied, “Calm down, it’s all good, just a little training injury.”

“I have never backed out of a fight – and I never will! I come to you, O’Malley – stronger than ever.”

Dvalishvili, 33, comes into UFC 306 on a ten-fight winning streak dating back to 2018. However, the Georgian has been criticized for the nature of his performances, which featured relentless wrestling and impressive endurance but earned him just one win in ten fights.

O’Malley, 29, will defend his second title when he faces Dvalishvili. In August 2023, he knocked out the Georgian’s teammate Aljamain Sterling to win the middleweight (135-pound) belt. In March, he defended the gold with a brilliant performance against Marlon Vera.