With UFC 316 just two weeks out, reigning 135lbs kingpin Merab Dvalishvili is once again preparing to defend his title. The Prudential Center sets the stage for a blockbuster rematch between ‘The Machine’ and former champion Sean O’Malley, who is eager to regain the belt. While the Georgian enters the Octagon as the clear favorite, the spotlight of concern in his camp isn’t on the challenge ‘Suga’ presents. Instead, as has often been the case, the biggest question mark heading into the fight is the Georgian himself.

Over the years, the 34-year-old has built a reputation not only for pushing through injuries but also for publicizing them. From gruesome camp footage to injury updates, Merab Dvalishvili is no stranger to sharing battle scars on social media. This habit, however, has drawn criticism from the very top. UFC CEO Dana White last year slammed the move as “next level stupidity,” warning that such disclosures could damage the pay-per-view appeal of a card. Still, Merab remains unapologetically Merab.

Ahead of UFC 316, he’s once again dealing with an injury—this time to his pinky toe, an ailment that eerily mirrors the same issue that forced Conor McGregor to pull out of UFC 303 last year. And yes—as expected, ‘The Machine’ has already posted about it online. The decision to make injuries public has sparked concern among veterans, including ESPN analyst Chael Sonnen. Taking to his YouTube channel, UFC vet didn’t mince words while cautioning ‘The Machine’:

“Injury reports used to worry me, because I used to think: ‘Okay, he doesn’t know that they can’t let him fight. He doesn’t know that if he wants to tough it out, part of the ‘tough it out’ process is to keep your mouth shut—to the grave. That’s part of it.’ And he doesn’t know when somebody is going to step in and grab this.”

But Sonnen, like many fans and analysts, has come to accept that Merab Dvalishvili is simply built differently: “I used to worry about these things, but now it’s just so normal with Merab that I don’t worry about it.” Indeed, compared to past injuries, this latest setback seems minor. Earlier this year, Dvalishvili walked into UFC 311 against Umar Nurmagomedov with a grotesque gash on his right shin—an injury so severe that his own coach questioned whether the fight would even happen. Recalling that brutal training camp, his coach didn’t hold back:

“Merab has had some massive injuries in camp, but he always shows up. The Umar camp was so bad, I didn’t think the commission would let him fight.”

Yet despite fears that the commission might step in and pull the plug, Merab Dvalishvili cleverly managed to mask the extent of his injury and get medically cleared to face Umar Nurmagomedov. Interestingly, it wasn’t just ‘The Machine’ who entered the fight compromised—Umar, too, was dealing with a lingering wrist injury. But once the Octagon doors closed, the champ’s fight IQ took over. He exhausted the 29-year-old Russian early, then poured on the pressure to break ‘Young Eagle’s 18-fight unbeaten streak.

That performance left fans and pundits alike wondering: how did Merab Dvalishvili pull it off without raising red flags with the commission? Let’s hear it straight from the Georgian himself.

How Merab Dvalishvili fooled the commission before Umar Nurmagomedov fight

Living up to his nickname, “The Machine,” Merab Dvalishvili has established himself as one of the most relentless forces inside the Octagon. Known for his furious pace, endless cardio, and remarkable toughness, the Georgian dynamo has solidified his place atop the UFC’s best bantamweight fighters. Just four months after defending his title for the first time, Dvalishvili is already preparing for his next challenge. But behind the scenes, injuries have been a constant obstacle.

Years of high-level competition have left their mark on his body. And while Dvalishvili battles physical setbacks throughout most of his camps, he somehow always finds a way to make it to fight night—even if it means outsmarting the commission. So how exactly did ‘The Machine’ pull it off?  Ahead of his UFC 311 showdown with Umar Nurmagomedov in California, the Georgian cleverly outsmarted the commission’s doctor. Reflecting on the moment after the fight, his coach John Wood told Submission Radio,

“We were sitting back there, I was sitting across from him literally s—-ing a brick because I didn’t know what was going to go on. They were like ‘hey let’s check your leg’ and he had sweatpants on so he pulled up his pant leg on his good leg. He pulled it back down, guy looked at the paper and looked back up and said ‘let me see the other one’ and he shows him the same one! I started laughing.”

What do you think about Chael Sonnen’s claim? Should Merab Dvalishvili stop sharing details about his injuries before fights since it could cause problems for him? Share your thoughts below.