UFC bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili was hospitalized after jumping headfirst into a frozen pond.
The Georgian MMA talent videoed himself diving into the pond. Upon impact, he immediately begins holding his head. He is later seen with blood pouring down his face in a second video. The third and final clip shows Merab Dvalishvili having his head stapled back together.
Dvalishvili was quite relaxed about the ordeal, he wrote the following message alongside the clips he posted on social media.
“I thought a great day to train and run in the park. Then I saw a pond which I thought was snow and water. BUT it turned out to be all ice and tree branches sticking out. As soon as I broke threw the ice I felt my skin peeling off . BUT nothing more painful then when they stapled my skin back together! Its all good now …”
Dvalishvili hasn’t fought since he beat John Dodson at UFC 252 in August. The bantamweight #12 was scheduled to face Cody Stamann at UFC Vegas 18 which takes place this weekend. Merab Dvalishvili withdrew from the bout as he continued to recover from catching the coronavirus. Stanmann will instead fight Askar Askar in a featherweight bout.
The 30-year-old has been impressive since joining the UFC in 2017. Merab Dvalishvili lost his first two bouts with the promotion. Frankie Saenz beat him via decision before Ricky Simon choked him out. Since then Dvalishvili has won five straight fights to propel himself into the 135lb mix. He holds notable victories over the likes of Casey Kenney and former flyweight title challenger John Dodson.
Last time out, Dvalishvili — who is on the cusp of a bantamweight title shot, sent former featherweight champion, Jose Aldo into retirement with a unanimous decision loss at UFC 278 in August.
This weekend, Dvalishvili headlines UFC Las Vegas against former undisputed bantamweight champion, Petr Yan, in a high-stakes division clash between the European mixed martial arts standouts.
