"Almost sh*t my pants” - Merab Dvalishvili’s coach reacts to nearly being crushed by barricade during UFC 316 walk-out

Merab Dvalishvili headlined UFC 316 on June 7 against Sean O'Malley for the bantamweight title. However, the fight was nearly over before it began after Dvalishvili and his corner team were nearly crushed by a falling barricade during their walk to the octagon. Numerous fans were also seen crashing to the floor after the barricade's collapse, but it was reported that no injuries occurred.

The bantamweight champion's coach, John Wood, has now shared his reaction to the nearly disastrous moment. Wood's comments came during an interview with Submission Radio taken one day after their title victory over O'Malley. He said:

"I almost sh*t pants. Merab got pushed out of the way as the thing was falling over. It fell right in front of us, almost landing on our feet. There was like five fans who broke the barricade and fell over. I was looking for people being crushed under the damn thing, it was nuts, man. That was a, 'Holy sh*t!' moment for sure. That was freaky, and by the grace of God I don't think anybody was hurt. That was an interesting one."

Check out Merab Dvalishvili's coach discuss the broken barricade below (9:55):

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Cory Sandhagen previews potential clash against Merab Dvalishvili

UFC 316 saw Merab Dvalishvili continue to assert his dominance in the bantamweight division as he secured a third-round submission win over Sean O'Malley. It was the first time that 'Suga' was submitted in his career, as Dvalishvili looked as good as ever against the former champion.

It is expected that perennial contender Cory Sandhagen will receive the next title shot against 'The Machine'. He sat cageside for the event, and even shared some words with the Georgian backstage following the card.

Sandhagen was also interviewed by ESPN MMA, where he reflected on Dvalishvili's performance and shared his keys to beating the reigning champion. He said:

"I was kind of surprised that O'Malley decided to move as much as he was... That's a very tough thing to do against a guy who is going to press like that. When Merab decides to get aggressive, he gets aggressive. I'm looking forward to that."

Sandhagen continued:

"He is the best guy in the division, and he's maybe one of the best guys in the UFC. I want to take that guy out... You've got to knock that guy out. That's it. You've just got to knock that guy out."

Check out Cory Sandhagen's comments on Merab Dvalishvili below (0:45):