Newly minted bantamweight world champion Merab Dvalishvili got into it with a fan while exiting Accor Arena.
‘The Machine’ was on hand for UFC Paris on Saturday, taking in all the action, including a bloody main event clash between Renato Moicano and Benoit Saint-Denis that came to a crashing halt following the second round. The night also saw Bryan Battle, Fares Ziam, and Morgan Charriere score a trio of highlight-reel knockouts as part of the main card.
While exiting the arena following the festivities, Dvalishvili was provoked by an unruly fan and had to be held back by security.
It’s certainly not the first time Dvalishvili has tried to go toe-to-toe with a heckler.
In August, the Georgian hopped a gate while attending the Craig Jones Invitational in Las Vegas after a fan seated behind him spouted some verbal abuse directed his way. Dvalishvili approached the fan in his seat and grabbed him by the hair before being escorted away by security staff.
He’s lucky Dvalishvili didn’t give him the Arman Tsarukyan treatment.
Merab Dvalishvili offers immediate rematch to Sean O’malley
When he’s not busy trying to throw hands with unruly fans, Merab Dvalishvili has been enjoying his first UFC title reign following a dominant showing against ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley at UFC 306.
‘The Machine’ has not yet booked his first title defense, but all signs point toward ‘The Machine’ squaring off with No. 2 ranked contender Umar Nurmagomedov — whether he likes it or not.
Recently, Dvalishvili responded to O’Malley’s recent claims that he won their meeting at this year’s Noche UFC event. Spoiler alert: O’Malley definitely did not win the fight, but ‘The Machine’ is more than willing to give ‘Sugar’ a rematch in November when the promotion heads back to MSG.
“I hear O’Malley thinks he won the fight and is looking for a rematch,” Dvalishvili posted on X. “If he wants it he can have it. Let’s do it November 16th at the Garden and then I’ll still defend the title against whoever the UFC wants me to fight next. What do you think? @SugaSeanMMA”
With O’Malley scheduled to undergo surgery to repair a torn labrum on October 3, there’s likely no chance we’ll see ‘Sugar’ step inside the Octagon anytime soon. In fact, the former bantamweight titleholder is expected to be on the shelf for no less than 6-8 months, though there is a possibility that his time on the sideline could extend into the fourth quarter of 2025.
