Merab Dvalishvili Shattered Nose But Is Refusing Surgery: “I can’t even breathe”
Merab Dvalishvili has suffered a drastic nose injury while training. However, “The Machine” says this injury won’t stop him from competing this year.
Dvalishvili is expected to run it back with current and two-time bantamweight champion Petr Yan soon. The UFC promised him an immediate title rematch after his title loss to Yan last year at UFC 323.
The Georgian who loves to stay busy successfully defended his 135-pound strap three times in 2025. To end the year with a bang and become the first UFC champion to defend the belt four times in a year, “The Machine” ran it back with Yan at UFC 323 but came up short, losing the hard-fought, five-round, gruesome battle via unanimous decision.
Following ample rest and recovery, Merab Dvalishvili is expected to return to the octagon in the second or third quarter of this year to run it back with Yan and finally settle the score in their trilogy, currently tied 1-1. Yan had lower back surgery a couple of months back and is already back in the gym.
Meanwhile, “The Machine” recently updated fans that he has shattered his nose once more, this time during sparring after taking a knee. Dvalishvili’s doctor has informed him that to get his nose back in place, they have to do a reconstruction, and if he goes under the knife, he has to stay out of action for a year.
Merab Dvalishvili plans to fix his busted-up nose only after he retires
Merab Dvalishvili has big plans. For now, although he is having a hard time as he can’t breathe through one nostril, he plans to get surgery only after he’s retired and not let the broken nose delay his activity in the UFC this year. In a recent video on his social media, he said:
“My nose is fu*ked up. Even worse and more cracked in the same direction. My bones are broken inside, and on one side, I cannot even breathe… My nose is broken in two places. He [the doctor] said if they want to fix my nose and make it straight, they would have to re-break other bones too, and it would take another year to heal. Of course, I don’t want to do that. Otherwise, he said, I can keep it like this and do surgery after retirement. I told him I’m not planning to retire for the next 20 years… I am gonna deal with it.”
Check out Merab Dvalishvili’s post below:
