Sean O'Malley: Ex-UFC champ baffled by Merab Dvalishvili’s gruesome toe injury days before Sean O'Malley rematch: "I don't know how a kick can do that"

Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker has been left baffled by Merab Dvalishvili's latest injury. This comes after the UFC bantamweight champion recently revealed he has suffered a gruesome toe injury just days out from his rematch against Sean O'Malley.

'The Machine' is set to once again face 'Suga' in the main event of the upcoming UFC 316 pay-per-view, which takes place at the Prudential Center, in Newark, New Jersey on June 7. The pair last fought back at UFC 306, which saw Dvalishvili dominate O'Malley with his wrestling and cruise to a unanimous decision victory to claim the bantamweight belt.

The pair are set to face off in just over seven days, with Dvalishvili leading the odds (-325) to retain his title. However, his latest posts on social media have revealed he has suffered a significant toe injury ahead of the fight, which may yet sway fans and bookmakers.

Check out Dvalishvili's injury below, courtesy of @MMACrazy below:

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Merab Dvalishvili has still insisted the fight against Sean O'Malley is still going ahead, but it hasn't stopped a number of people from being concerned or confused. Most recently, Robert Whittaker shared his take on the injury during a recent episode of his MMAArcade podcast.

According to 'The Reaper', he can't understand how an injury like that has happened. He said:

"I saw the toe, it doesn't look good. It's not just bruised, from the video that I saw it looks broken. To get his toe looking like that, he would have had to jam it between his [training] partner's head and a cinderblock. I don't know how a kick can do that unless it goes the wrong way...Your little toe does a lot."

Check out Whittaker's comments in the link below (10:15):

Merab Dvalishvili's coach predicts upcoming rematch against Sean O'Malley

Merab Dvalishvili's coach, John Wood, recently shared his prediction for his fighter's upcoming UFC 316 clash against Sean O'Malley.

While many fans would expect the rematch to play out in a similar fashion to the first contest, Wood instead believes the rematch will be far more violent. Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda MMA, he said:

"I think it's going to be a much more violent fight. I think you're going to see Sean come out with a much more damaged look, whether we get the finish or not. I think there's strong potential for that to happen. But I think you're going to see a lot of damage in this fight. A lot of bumps and bruises and cuts and blood."

Check out John Wood's comments below (7:05):

About the author

Will began his tenure at Sportskeeda as an MMA writer over 2 years ago and has penned over 1800 pieces so far, including 35+ exclusives, which have garnered close to 5 million views.

Will graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Media and Communications from Bournemouth University, where he was also a valued member of their communications team. His degree heavily focused on social media and writing, which eventually led him toward sports writing.

He turned into an MMA fan after witnessing Conor McGregor’s 13-second TKO win over Jose Aldo at UFC 194 in 2015. The Irishman sits at the top of his list of top-five MMA fighters of all time, which also includes world champions like Demetrious Johnson, Michael Bisping, Max Holloway, and Georges St-Pierre.

Will especially enjoys working on event days and feels his contribution to Sportskeeda’s UFC 300 coverage was one of the high points of his time with the organization. He ensures his articles are accurate by going through multiple sources, which also helps his writing be as informative as possible.

His interests away from work include football, gaming, live streaming, and listening to music.

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Edited by Tejas Rathi