When Merab Dvalishvili stormed through the Dagestani stronghold at UFC 311 by handing Umar Nurmagomedov his first career loss, he shattered expectations. ‘The Machine’ entered as the underdog but dominated the undefeated Nurmagomedov with relentless pressure and grit, silencing critics both inside and outside the MMA community. Now, as he gears up for a title clash with Sean O’Malley at UFC 316, a former middleweight champion has stepped forward—urging the bantamweight king to take notice.

While having a conversation with TNT Sports, Michael Bisping asked the host to name his greatest bantamweight of all time. In response, the host dropped Dominick Cruz’s are, which might have irked ‘The Count’, as he countered the question while giving his own response.

“Yes, yes, that is an old-school shoutout, but you are absolutely right. He certainly deserves respect and credit, and certainly helped build the lightweight division. But I’m just looking at his records right now. I mean, here’s another reason why this rematch is happening—because outside of Cory Sandhagen, he’s beaten everybody: Sean O’Malley, Henry Cejudo, Petr Yan, Jose Aldo,” said Bisping.

He further added, “All right, then it’s Marlon Moraes, Cody Stamann, John Dodson. But his last five fights are all pretty much former champions, outside of Umar Nurmagomedov, who was undefeated, who was seen as the next coming of Khabib, the next guy to be the champion, and all the rest of it. And he didn’t just beat him—he dominated him, and he made it look relatively easy. I think Merab Dvalishvili is one of the greatest bantamweights that we’ve ever seen.”

With a career record of 19 victories and only 2 defeats—both of which came in the UFC—Merab Dvalishvili is riding a 12-fight winning streak. His record speaks volumes, as he has secured impressive wins over former two-division champion Henry Cejudo, dominated Sean O’Malley, and many others.

Well, the bantamweight champion might be looking to defend his title once again after wrecking the Dvalishvili wall, but there’s been an injury update that’s been worrying the MMA community. However, the bantamweight champion has come forward to clarify his stance. Let’s take a look.

Merab Dvalishvili reveals the truth behind his toe injury

Remember Merab Dvalishvili’s initial title fight against Sean O’Malley? The bantamweight champion suffered a cut above his eye just weeks before the bout. Despite the injury, he still fought O’Malley at UFC 306 and emerged victorious. His first title defense against Umar Nurmagomedov was also in jeopardy, as “The Machine” was dealing with a painful shin injury and an infection that nearly canceled the fight. Yet, the Georgian pushed through and defeated the Dagestani.

Now, with his toe injured once again ahead of UFC 316, concerns from fans have started to resurface. However, Dvalishvili has revealed that he is completely fine, “No more black and blue. Still a little fat, but it’s good. I’m working. It’s a little pinky toe. It won’t be any problem. … That is how it was. But like my coach said, if it’s something important, I’m not going to post it.”

He further added,”That was not important. Like I said, I have nine other toes and I’m good. … I was surprised how much reaction there was from people. It’s like, guys, it’s nothing really. It was nothing,” said Dvalishvili. As both prepare for a face-off, what do you think about the fate of the bantamweight division? State your opinion in the comments below.